


Unchained

by Arnheim



Category: Astral Chain (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Canon Rewrite, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Non-Explicit Sex, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 91,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26901805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arnheim/pseuds/Arnheim
Summary: February 17, 2043, a meteor of unknown origin impacts the Earth in Antarctica. Red matter covers the planet, forcing humanity to retreat to their Ark to avoid extinction.On April 06, 2078, Akane Howard and her brother Akira are thrown into circumstances beyond their wildest imagination.Even a pebble creates waves in the ocean of history.
Relationships: Akira Howard & Player Character, Hal/Akira Howard, Maximilian Howard & Jin Wong, Maximilian Howard/Alicia Lopez, Olive Espinosa/Brenda Moreno, Player Character/Sword Legion (Astral Chain)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 44





	1. File 01 [Synchronization]

**Author's Note:**

> The operation of multiple things at the same time; to move exactly together.

## Awakening

No body to feel, no eyes to see, no orders to follow- no orders to follow? That's new. But the will to move drips and sticks and breaks into pieces, past threads of consciousness, even with the freedom of thought. Where and what and why and when slipping into oblivion. Their core rotates wildly in suspension, a singular sensation to grip onto.

“Activity levels...36.18...no...chim...transformation...” They perk up. The sound waves pop in and out of existence, each a burst of light in the darkness. “...particle gun...ready to fire...whenever...”

And then everything BURNS. IT BURNS _ITBURNSITBURNSITBURNS_

The world comes into focus so quickly, it's a miracle they even land on their feet- feet? Their body crashes down to the ground and the vibrations run through flesh knitting over bones and fresh nerves to define the shape of heels, the plates over their knuckles, a mouth that make their hissing breath into deep growls as they carefully glide sharp claws against rounded fangs.

Their legs aren't shaped correctly, but they drag themselves up by them anyway to raise newly-formed eyes to the shadows of movement in their periphery.

Rage boils to life through their nervous system.

 _ **Humans.**_ How many times must they be erased, how many times must they be tested before they are found lacking? Muscles twitch and stretch taut under the skin as they launch themselves into the air, claws ready to spill blood- the panels of glass and plastics fracture into pieces under their weight, a network of cracks spreading from the point of impact, enough to cling to, but not enough to break through, not enough to get their fingers into flesh, and the old one, feeble and frail, even dares to _smirk._ So arrogant for someone so _weak._

They press their head against the panels, pleased to see a few humans take a step back in fear, as they should. The diagrams spread on the length of the glass are of strange armour and bindings to capture...these humans want to _capture_ them?

They smash their knuckles against the plastic. Again. And again. And again!

“Activate the Astral Chain. Engage the restraints.”

They rear back for one more hit in time to see the shackle close around their wrist. To feel the Astral Spark _sear into their flesh_ , before they're dragged off the glass back to the floor, chains sprouting from the machinery above them to bind their arms and legs, prying their limbs apart, and the particles float down to surround them, to encase their head in blinding blue, plates of data sinking their protrusions into their chest, into their _core_ -

The chains _shatter_. Waves of distortion run over reality at the edges of awareness; the glass is unbroken- why would it be broken, that would be an incredible safety oversight, and yet it _is_ broken, the cracks pushing through polymers- nausea tickles the back of her throat, and she extends a hand to stop one of the new workers from falling over in panic, even as she keeps her eyes on the Legion. It's significantly more...volatile than the others, and without the Legatus' limiters or a controller, the creature roars and charges, summoning its blades into existence without hesitation.

With an ungodly screech and muffled gasps in concern over the commander's safety, the sword slides straight through the glass, aimed at his head.

The metal stops in its tracks. The commander raises an eyebrow.

The regulator above emits a high-pitched noise only slightly muffled by the glass, and the collar snaps closed around the beast's neck. It chokes on a howl while the machine breaks down matter to pure genetic data, pulling the creature back into its core even as it trashes in its bonds.

In a flare of blue, the cube stabilizes. A boom of relieved sighs follows its quiet click to the ground, activity restarting in clicks of heels and screech of shoes on tiles, the containment device quickly installed around the new Legion's core, ready for synchronization.

“Well, then.” She glances at the commander. “Have the next candidates been chosen?”

Brenda nods as he peers at her from the glass, crossing his arms behind his back. “Yes, they have, but they're not from our usual channels. They're two new officers who just joined criminal affairs. They're...” She can't help but sigh. Max is a good friend, but friendship can't stop the chimeras. “They're captain Max's children. The twin orphans he took in, Akira and Akane.”

Young but dependable, according to superintendent Palmer. The commander hums, and she pulls up their profiles, flicking them over to hologram display. “I've seen their test results, and frankly, doctor, none of our other candidates even come close.” Their predicted synchronization rates with the Legions can't be matched by any of their _current_ officers. “I've already taken the liberty of filing for their transfer to Neuron.” If anyone can break the tide...

The commander shifts his glasses upon his nose. “I understand, Brenda. Where are the twins, then?”

“Doctor Moreno.”

“Excuse me?”

She winces and shakes her head. Stupid, _stupid_ Brenda. “Er, nothing, sir, I...we've just received reports from the police of a confirmed gate opening in Central City. All available officers have been sent to investigate. I assume the twins are no different.”

“I see. Hm...that will do. Let's consider this their...field test.”

“Wha...b-but, sir, we haven't even briefed them on the project...”

“Never mind that. If they were to fail now, we couldn't use them anyway. Doctor Moreno, humanity no longer has the luxury of wasting time on useless formalities.”

“...Understood, doctor Calvert.”

* * *

Night shift _sucks._

The Ark still needs her tonight, her _people_ still need her, but, well, this evening hasn't stopped throwing little fights and petty thieves her way to add a few more bruises to her forearms, and a break would be nice before the pain gets bone deep and her wrist takes a vacation. There's _some_ catharsis in blasting down the highway, at least, letting the vibrations of the overclocked engine numb her overworked legs; the evacuation notice's already gone through, and state of emergency doesn't say anything about how fast she's _allowed_ to go.

Her radio crackles to life just as she squeezes her bike between two cars. “Attention, all officers,” the dispatcher announces. It's Herman, or Armand, or something like that. She's only been at this post for two weeks, not long enough to remember every coworker. “We've got several eyewitness reports of gate openings in Central City, Zone 36. Ensuring civilian safety is your top priority.”

 _Shit_. Central City has over 2 million people, one of the biggest residential areas of the Ark, it doesn't take a math wiz to figure out that a single gate will make the redshift spread like wildfire, let alone multiple. As if to prove a point, her fingers are barely off the handle to confirm her heading that red particles sweep right past her ear, one projectile of corrupted data that fills her brain with a violent ringing and forces her tilt into a sharp swerve to the side to avoid another from taking off her entire arm, even as it leaves a burning, sizzling slash into her skin.

 _ **Aberrations.**_ They turn the curve of the highway toward her, bulky shapes flapping their fleshy grey wings, blood-choked growling spilling through plates of bone. One, two, three- six, six people too late to be saved. No matter how many times she deals with these things, it makes every hair on her arms stand on end and her gut churn in disgust. One of them has a giant red crystal piercing through its neck, arm bulging and splitting into the vague shape of a bow, face melting around crimson lights for eyes.

The dispatcher pings back on the line as she spins and brings her X-baton straight into the abdomen of the closest target, pulling its face down to the concrete. “If you see any aberrations, take them out and keep the damage from spreading. Repeat. Calling all officers en route to Grand Avenue. Watch out for abandoned vehicles on the highway.”

One of the poor sods on the left tries to aim at her and smashes into a car left on the side of the road instead, exploding into bits of data. The timing is _almost_ funny.

“The area's been designated Redshift Level D,” the dispatcher continues. “We've confirmed reports of civilian aberration, and have approval from the UNION to use lethal force on any hostiles. Exercise your best judgment when engaging these targets. That is all.”

She activates the on-board blasters with a flick of her wrist. There isn't much that can withstand a rain of heated bullets, even when the bullets dissipate quickly, and she covers her face from the dust and ashes that blow past her through the waves of energy tearing apart the former humans. Calling them humans sounds wrong, but that's what they used to be, once, maybe hours, maybe minutes ago.

Her radio beeps again just as the last corpse tumbles down the speeding road. “HQ, this is Peter-Delta-025, Akira Howard. I've just arrived on scene, I- ugh!” She snaps to attention. The frantic note in her brother's voice runs a cold current down her spine, squeezing air out of her lungs. “HQ, do you read me? There's too many aberrations to count! They've blocked off the highway!”

This bike needs to go _faster_.

“I'd guess we're looking at multiple gates along the road,” Akira hisses. “It must be spreading to everyone passing through! I need backup, now!”

Tires screech behind her. Redshift is a slow killer. It isn't advanced enough to stop the monsters from actually driving their little white van, but they won't, _can't_ catch up to her; she weaves through a barricade of cars and twists her bike horizontal until she can feel the heat of the road against her face, until both her bike and the road go screeching under the semi-trailer of a nearly intact delivery truck. The explosion follows as the aberrations crash their van on the side, blowing pieces of metal and plastic under and around her.

“This is HQ,” the dispatcher finally responds as she comes out the other side. She winces at the singed ends of her ponytail. That...yeah, that can be kept out of her report. “We're concentrating our firepower on Central City at the moment; Special Ops Bureau's orders. We will send over whoever we can once things have calmed down! Hold tight until then!”

You've gotta be kidding. Akira echoes her thoughts in a shout, another noise added to the cacophony of growls and snarls and metal smacking against flesh. “Without backup, we're all goners!” He ends up yelling. Then, with a click, her radio switches over to her private channel, and there's Akira right above her heart. “Hey, Akane, you can hear me, right?! Where the _hell_ are you?!”

Just a few more kilometres. “I can't go any faster, Akira! I'm already on the way!”

“Dammit! What are they _thinking_? If we don't stop the corruption here, Central City will be overwhelmed too...woah!” A shriek of blades intersecting cuts him off into white noise. The rumbling of an engine gets louder and louder behind her. She tugs the radio closer to her mouth with one hand, the other thumbing the switch on her baton.

“Hey! Akira! Don't you dare die on me, okay?!” If there's any answer from the other side, it gets buried under the honk of the P.S.L. Line truck barrelling through the other lane and the cackles of snipers clambering over the side of it, with all their gangly limbs banging discordantly against the armoured vehicle, the poor driver little more than a husk of red stone strapped to his seat. The Astral Spark hums beneath her fingers. Metal and plastic twists at the flick of a switch, her blaster forming between her fingers in time for her to pop four blasts of heat through the heads of the aberrations. Without a driver, the truck goes right into the next curve, front bumper bouncing off the wall, sending the vehicle into the guardrail, _over_ the guardrail, and the flaming, flying truck barrels right over her head, back down the highway.

She comes out of the tunnel with the blast of smoke, coughs, slows down to a stop and cuts the power. Holy crap. Her heart is beating 185 beats per minute and each breath leaves an ache in her shoulder blades that's promising harsh retribution in the morning. She slowly peels herself off the overheating bike and turns her comms back to headquarters.

“HQ, this is Akane Howard, Peter-Delta-026.” Even through shorts and socks, her thighs are _burning._ “I'm on the scene, heading to provide support to officer Akira Howard. I'll help out anyone in need on the way.”

And help is definitely needed; Eastside is in shambles. Cars crashed, overturned and gutted, some still burning and pouring embers into the air, evidence of the explosions that tore holes into the road. The fighting seems to be mostly focused further along the highway, though, and part of her is grateful to have a small opportunity to catch her breath.

“Roger that, Peter-Delta-026,” the dispatcher responds. “The emergency medical team is already on site if necessary. Stay safe out there.”

It barely takes her a minute to find the medics. She runs into them as soon as she rounds the corner of the nearest pileup, three of them patching up civilians and officers alike, almost shining in their white and green getup to the officers' blue and black, respirators and goggles tightly affixed to their faces.

One of them has apparently heard her arrival and briefly turns to glance at her.

“Oh, man, are you a sight for sore eyes,” he exclaims, binding the shoulder of his patient even as he points her toward another man leaning against a piece of concrete. “Give me a hand, will you?”

“On it.” The guy must feel miserable, covered in bruises and cuts from head to toes. She kneels beside him, already opening up her hip pouch to pull out a few packs of gel. “Are you able to move, sir?”

He shakes his head in response and groans, eyes unfocused. “No, no way, my leg...what the hell were those things...”

“It's alright, sir, we'll get you out of-” She bites back a yelp when his hand close around her wrist.

“Y-you have to watch out!” He shouts, almost falling over before she holds him up by the shoulder. “They're invisible! Like looking through glass! They, they...” Invisible?

“Sheesh, must have hit his head harder than I thought.” She stops spreading gel over the man's cuts to look up as another medic crouches beside her, gently removing the man's hand from her arm with a smile that crinkles their eyes. “At least there's no spinal injuries. We've got choppers coming in, mind carrying him over?”

The helicopter flies in over their heads, backing up into a hover with an electrical hum and groans of metal settling, lowering its stretchers on instruction of, probably, their team leader. She slowly pulls the man's arms over her shoulders while he continues to moan about invisible monsters, and gives him a piggyback ride into one of the canvas beds, the drones beeping on each side to let her know the patient is secure.

Then all radios click on with a piercing whine.

“Mayday! Mayday! We're under attack! I, I can't shake them!”

Officers and medics and civilians alike lift their heads to the sky, to the screech of electronics giving up the fight, and the first thought that comes to her mind is: this is insane. There's half a dozen aberrations crawling like ants over the chassis of the incoming helicopter, blades tearing through the metal, and there's nothing she can do but just stand there and _stare_ when they jump the pilot, nothing she can do when the engine catches fire and the helicopter crashes down the highway in a ball of flames and shrapnel, reds and oranges and yellows painting the back of her eyelids as she protects her eyes from the bright flash of light of the detonation.

“Holy shit.” Holy shit is accurate. “This can't be happening. Is...are we gonna have another Pandemic?”

“Don't think about it!” The head medic snaps at his subordinate. “We've got people to help, and we help them no matter what! Officer!” She looks over, blinks away the dots of colour in her vision. “We can take it from here! Go!”

The nod comes before he's even finished his sentence. She pushes herself into a run toward her twin, dusting a few aberrations as she passes by. There's no time to waste, something is awfully, awfully _wrong,_ a few gates shouldn't be able to throw their forces in disarray like that, and there's no way she's going to leave Akira, leave her brother to deal with so many horrors, the rest of them be damned.

“Always gotta play the hero, huh,” she sighs to herself, runs past a garbage truck, and there he is at the end of the road, helping an officer out of the wreckage caused by the helicopter, because of course he is, thankfully without any visible injuries besides a few tears in his uniform and soot stuck to his cheeks. His eyes light up with relief when he sees her.

But there's no time for reunion. A gate erupts into existence right between the two of them, red particles clawing their way through thin air, and they both stumble back from it, batons at the ready...only for it to abruptly close without ceremony, except a faint glow and a distortion in the air.

She throws a confused glance toward Akira. Her brother twists his foot to brace his stance, eyes narrowed and lips parted, keeping his focus on where the gate was.

“Do you see that, Akane?” He whispers.

“See wha-” And the distortion _moves._ No, not moves, it's...ripples over a lake, heat haze over her entire vision, or...or looking through glass, an entire glass maze, and _oh._ Her teeth grind together, her nails dig into her palms, her feet bolted to the ground even as the _thing_ slides past her on limbs that scratch the concrete and scramble her eyesight. Aberrations don't _do_ that.

She whips toward her brother. He hasn't noticed, _he hasn't noticed_ _ **he hasn't noticed-**_

“Akira! Move!” No time to reach him. His eyes grow round as beads, and he takes a step to the side, but not far enough- the air whistles, and pearls of blood splatter to the ground as his cheek is slashed into, four distinct claw marks that makes him stumble to the side into her arms. “Ak-” The sound gets stuck in her throat, breath cut short- but his hand thumps against her shoulder, grounding her back to reality before the panic can seize her rationality.

“Ow, ow, I'm okay, I'm okay, calm down, sis.” They're pretty shallow cuts, thank god. She rests her forehead against his, keeping an eye out as the distortion momentarily splits in two fuzzy images, the predators circling them before they dissolve back into scattered light.

“Come in, Peter-Delta-025! Corruption levels just shot up in your area! Report!”

With a sigh, she snatches the radio off her brother's chest while he straightens himself out, already spreading gel across the wounds. “This is Peter-Delta-026. We're under attack, but the target is...” How can she describe something she can't see? “Whatever it is, it's got some kind of cloaking ability!”

“Cloaking? We don't have any reports about that.” He sounds like he's about to _laugh_ at her, of all goddamn things. “Are you sure it's not just an aberration hiding somewhere?”

“Wha- yes, I'm pretty _bloody_ sure, my brother almost got his cheek ripped off!” One of the creatures fizzles back into existence for a moment to dash forward, and she yanks Akira back with her out of the way of its swipe. “Why would I lie about that?!”

“Well, whatever they are, get out of there! That's all.” And then he _hangs up._

Her brother snorts, pressing his back against hers. “Heh, useful, aren't they?” Both of them open fire, his three shots to her own two, and at least one of them must hit, because the roar reverberates in her bones, the monsters' stare turning to pinpricks of heat against her skin. They duck beneath one attack and spin past each other out of the way of another, their little dance pulling the two- there has to be just two, has to be- monsters apart.

Akira snarls and manages a kick that makes his attacker skid back a few strides, leaving six deep gouges in the concrete. “Yeah, you take that, you bastard! Revenge hurts, doesn't it?”

She's not as lucky. Her focus wavers just a little, but just a little is all the creature needs to disappear from her sight, not even a blur or noise to warn her-

The pain trickles in little by little, needles across her ribs, bile burning the back of her throat. She curls her fingers, her gloves scraping against concrete, and every little dent in her chest plate digs into her skin, burning black stars in every blink; Akira is thrown two meters back to the ground beside her while her brain tries to remember how to breathe without vomiting. The creature's claws dig into the ground, just steps away.

She screams and hides in her jacket when it explodes. Flung through the air straight back to the end of the road, it leaves a large crater in the one car that it impacts, and then the whole thing goes up in flames under a nigh endless deluge of exploding bullets that _definitely_ has to hurt more than its punch hurt her, if the high-pitched shriek it emits is anything to go by. She scrambles back to her feet, and a hand gently closes around her shoulder.

“You okay, little ruby?”

There's only two people in the world who get to call her that. The light stubble, short brown hair and thin, hexagonal glasses, the way he smiles, she wants to curl up against him.

“Uncle Jin?” Akira croaks, pulling himself up.

“Oof, don't call me that, bright eyes, I already feel old enough.”

And it _is_ Jin Wong, designated Howard babysitter, who smiles at her and Akira, stands back up with a glare as intense as the sun, and waves his arm to direct another salvo from the _shape_ behind him toward the remaining creature. It dodges, weaves between two shots to charge head first with claws at the ready, and holy crap she can _see_ them. Humanoid but not quite, hooked legs and purple skin covered by pieces of golden shell, spikes protruding from the back of its head and joints, a red jewel that shines where the sternum would be.

The thing chained to Jin's wrist is its own monster, a floating torso with a blue cube rotating in the _giant gaping hole_ in its chest, who proceeds to send out its detached arms to stop the beast's charge, black and white armour protecting it from the claws that sink into its limbs.

It's an effort and a half to tear her eyes away and, because her dumb idiot of a brother is staring in awe like he's watching a Saturday morning cartoon, drag Akira with her behind Jin as the two beings exchange hits in showers of sparks.

“What...are those,” he breathes, gapes as Jin's companion shoots blasts of energy out of its fingertips.

Jin frowns, throwing a glance toward her brother while the dumbass tries to protectively wrap himself around her. “You can see them?” She nods along with Akira, frowns herself when the older man grimaces. When's the last time they've seen each other? Two, three years? “Shit. That can't be good...”

He interrupts himself with a grunt and pulls them aside to avoid the giant axe that swings past and cleaves right through the shell of the gold monster, taking off its left arm in a single strike. Blue particles swirl around the weapon while the monster howls in pain, another chained creature emerging from the mass with thick armour covering its right arm and flaring out around its spindly legs like a skirt, and its opponent has no chance to react before its free hand wraps around the monster's neck, lifting it off the ground, and the warrior's fingers tighten, and creak and creak and creak, snapping through bones and muscles, until all that's left is specks of colour drifting away in the wind.

“Hot damn, Captain, I almost felt bad for that chimera.”

This evening can't get weirder. Maximilian Howard, her dad, _her dad_ , hair more salt than pepper, huge plates of metal over his officer uniform, walks around the corner of the garbage truck with a woman by his side, his one functional blue eye fixed on the axe warrior. He twists his wrist when the creature turns to him, and in an instant, the chain detaches from its collar to snap to the cube in its chest, drags it back to the device on his arm and leaves its body to fade into blue particles.

“Nobody gets to mess with my family without consequences.”

The woman chuckles and thumps him on the back, rearranging her black cap as she reaches down to pet...the dog at her side. That's a dog. A huge blue alien dog in armour, but that's a dog she's got attached to her arm, wagging its weird tail like a dog, with the perky little ears of a Dobermann.

“Dad?!” Akira shouts, detaching himself from her side. “Wha...what in the world is going on?”

“A nightmare,” Max sighs, and his face twists in horror when he turns toward them, almost running to cradle Akira's face in his hands. “Bloody hell, kid, what happened to your face?!”

“Huh?” Akira blinks owlishly. It takes him reaching up to his face to remember _the smears of blood and claw marks on his cheek._ Idiot brother. Akane gives him a withering look, which he counters by rolling his eyes. “It's worse than it looks. I already applied enough gel to seal it shut for a few hours, at least.”

“He got tagged by one of those...things,” Max blanches at her report, and she quickly raises a hand as he snaps to an offensive stance. “Which! Officer...Wong has already taken care of...with extreme prejudice.” He sighs, lets the tip of his giant fuck-off sword fall back to the ground. “Dad...what are they? They're not aberrations, I've never seen anything like that.”

“It's a long story.”

“They're our enemy.” Jin walks back over to them, his companion hovering above him, twitching and curling clawed fingers like it can't wait to punch something else in the face. “Captain. Just got a report from Powell that gates are popping open back up the highway. Olive is saying we might be looking at another wave of chimeras.”

Her dad's eyes spell out murder. “Damn, these things don't know when to give up, huh. Sorry, kids, guess the explanations will have to wait for later.” As if they were gonna get one now. With a jerk of his chin, he points the woman to the officer passed out near the wreckage. “Alicia, you're the fastest. Get that officer over there out of here and move to provide support to Bravo team.”

“What about them, Captain?” 'Alicia' asks, leaning to one side to look at her and Akira. “I'm sure I can carry them too.”

“No.” Max's response is swift and the steel in his voice brooks no arguments. “I don't want them in the middle of the fighting.”

Akira seems rattled enough to not complain about being put on the sidelines, and she's not about to open her big mouth. Adrenaline is probably the only thing keeping her on her feet right now.

Alicia hums softly, barely audible as the sounds of fighting drip back in, screeching of creatures far worse than aberrations, and rain drums against the cars, painted red by the gates. Her dog thing drags the officer Akira had extracted onto its back before trotting back over to its owner. “If you can't break through, they're gonna be stuck in the middle of it all, anyway, Captain. You know that, right?”

“Then we'll just _have_ to break through,” Max growls.

The device on his arm flares up, a screen hologram forming out of the light.

“Max, you must let them use the Legatus.”

The voice is calm and comforting, but Max reacts like he's just been punched in the stomach, taking a step back and curling into himself, and then it turns to anger, his nostrils flaring out. “Commander, what the hell're you sayin'?! Those are my _kids!_ ”

“And that's exactly why I'm saying this, Max. You cannot expect them to fight chimeras on their own.”

“I'll destroy a thousand of the things before I let my kids get dragged into this!”

“Captain, while I admire your enthusiasm, please keep in mind that I am still your commander. This is not an order you can refuse.”

Max opens his mouth to argue again, but Jin beats him to the punch. “The commander's right, Max. Besides, it's already too late for them.” Akane slowly looks over to the older man, hand snaking into Akira's. Her brother glances at her, the same questions inscribed in his eyes: too late? Too late for what? “They can see the chimeras. They're already pushing the safety limit, we can't get them out in time, high resistance be damned. Either they sync with the Legions or they're gonna redshift on us.”

Akira's gloves creak against hers. She's too numb to return the gesture.

“You don't even have to worry about calibration,” the 'commander' adds. “I've already loaded their personnel data onto those devices.”

Max pinches the bridge of his nose. “...Fuck!” It's the first time she's ever heard her dad swear so bluntly. He looks on the verge of throwing up- she can relate- as he pulls the device in question out of the box attached to his hip, exactly like the one on his wrist. “Fine. Goddammit...Alicia, pass the other one to Akira. Jin, patch them in on our channel.”

He gently deposits the device in her hands, almost solemn. “I didn't want you two being involved...I should've been faster.”

It's _vibrating_. Warm and alive between her fingers, a beating heart pulsing a regular rhythm, distracting her own from the faceful of Jin as he fiddles with her radio. She's never used anything like it, but she already _knows_ how it works, how every piece interlocks to contain the Astral Spark and bend the metal around the core of blue matter enclosed inside. The gasp from her brother is all that's necessary to tell her she's not the only one feeling this way.

“What...what do we do now?” Akira whispers.

“Fight,” Jin replies, raising his arm to jangle the blue chain between his cuff and his...Legion. “We call this thing the Legatus. Experimental counter-chimeric weaponry. It's what forms the connection between us and the Legions, and the Legions protect us from the red matter the chimeras produce. On top of that, it's got memo-taking apps, navigational aids, you name it. I've even got solitaire on mine, it's great.”

Alicia rolls her eyes as she ties the unconscious officer securely to her Legion's back. “Is now really the time to be geeking out, Jin?”

“Hey, it's better than being all doom and gloom. I've known these kids for years, they'll pull through.”

“Alright, alright, you two,” Max chides with a grunt, before turning his gaze back to her and Akira. “Come on, put them on, rookies!” His bark makes her jump a foot in the air; there's fire in his eyes and ice in his voice, no traces of sorrow left to see. Akira imitates him as he unfolds all of himself, pushing his shoulders back, puffing up his chest until he stops looking like a scared teenager. “From now on, you're part of Neuron, and I'm your captain, got it? You listen to what I say, when I say it. And the first thing you gotta listen to: don't you _dare_ die on me.”

She snaps to attention. “Yessir!”

“Alright, Neuron! First Lieutenant Wong, with me! Second Lieutenant Lopez, you have your orders, get to it! Cadets Howard, you hold the line here!”

Alicia laughs, already eating ground as fast as her Legion before he's even done talking. Jin and Max follow, only for Jin to stop and turn as he passes them, smile curling his lips.

“Keep your radios on,” he says, reaching out to ruffle Akira's rain-soaked hair despite her brother's squawks of protest. “And don't hesitate to call for backup. I'm sure our dear captain can hold off a few chimeras on his own if you need my help.”

She nods, chuckles when Akira shakes his head like a wet dog, spikes dripping water. Jin hasn't changed that much, still too much of a worrywart for his own good.

All three of them freeze when buzzing fills the air, and she follows Jin's line of sight in time to see the gate tear open above the wreckage, another gold-shelled chimera clawing its way out of the fissure, dropping down to the ground into a crouch. Her hand is all that stops the older man from charging at it.

“We can take care of it, _Lieutenant Wong._ ” She gently pushes him back a step. “I don't need explanations to know how to fight. Just go make sure dad doesn't push himself too hard.”

The nod is hesitant, but it comes anyway, and Jin runs off after Max as she and Akira turn to face the chimera, the creature straightening itself up, rolling its shoulders, rictus grin cutting its face in half.

She spins the Legatus in her hand. “Ready, Aki?”

The determined nod from her brother is all she needs to snap the device onto her wrist, Akira in perfect sync with her, and the machine opens in three parts with a pulse of the Astral Spark, blue energy running into the channels around the revealed core. _Protect._

“ID code confirmed. Starting up.”

She bends her legs, drawing her back foot further as the chimera walks toward them. _Protect._

“Core released.”

Twisting her whole body around, she lets the core fly forward to intercept the chimera, every bit of the cube twisting and intersecting, the Legatus spinning faster and faster. _Protect._

“Engaging Advent Protocol.”

Blue particles form plates of data around the core, humanoid shapes out of thin air. The chimera tilts its head in confusion. _PROTECT._

“Stabilized. Advent Protocol complete.”

The two Legions roar into existence with an amazing, beautiful pulse of light, waves of distortion pouring out from their cores as the Legatus closes around their necks. Ethereal chains materialize between her and Akira's wrist and the metal collars. Her senses expand, light and colours and sensations she has no way to describe with the words she knows.

“Chained Legions.”

Her Legion- _Sword_ \- leaves the chimera no time to react before it smashes its blade against the side of the monster's head, cutting a line deep into its cheek and pushing it back a few steps. An arrow of blue light follows to pin its shoulder to the car abandoned behind it. Akira's Legion pulls back another bolt, laughing a warbling laugh that forms sharp spikes as it twirls in mid-air, skirt of armour folding and unfolding around the triangular structure it has instead of legs.

“Woah. This is so weird,” Akira groans, blinking repeatedly. “It's like I'm feeling everything it feels. Urgh, please stop spinning so much, I'm gonna puke.”

She huffs and clenches her fist while her Legion wraps its other arm in sharpened metal, buries it in the chimera's guts. The data disruption spills red crystals out of the wound her Sword consumes with abandon. The words pulse between her ears. ' _Protect...KILL._ '

She runs to join her Legion and snaps her baton into the chimera's crest as it tilts forward, electric, intoxicating energy flowing through her limbs from god knows where. It'd be so easy to _rip it apart._

“That means it's working,” Max's voice pipes in over their radios. He is _warmth_ and _home_ , pulling her away from needless violence. They just need to kill it, not torture it. “A Legion needs a mental link to work. Part weapon, part sidekick. It's saved my ass plenty of times.”

' _Watch..._ '

Her Legion hands her its eyes: a bright red light surrounds the chimera's left hand, energy running through its arm, and she turns her baton to blaster mode, popping one burst into its palm just as the beast tries to claw at her. Her Legion purrs in satisfaction, leaping on the occasion to slice off the offending arm in imitation of Max's own Legion.

“Listen!” Alicia comes onto the channel, a long howl backing her call. “The Legions are wired to attack the chimeras all on their own. Think of yourselves as lion tamers. Just don't keep them out too long and you'll be fine.”

“Yeah, keep 'em out too long and they get cranky,” Max adds. “And you do _not_ want to see a cranky Legion.”

“Trust me, your old man knows that from experience.”

“Lucky for our dear captain, the Legatus' limiter keeps them from going from 'cranky' to 'murderous,'” Jin joins in, Max's response an embarrassed grunt.

Another arrow from Akira's Legion falls from the sky, nailing the chimera right in the back of the head, and Akira himself comes in with a sliding kick to shoot a blast of energy through the mouth of the roaring beast, red-blue burning cracks through its shell. The chimera coughs out a cloud of red matter, raising its arm for an overhead strike through the burst of particles, but it's so _slow_ , she drives her baton straight into its bicep, or whatever counts for it, before it can even swing down, and that's all the distraction her Legion needs to snap the creature's head in half, its blade piercing past the shell with a wet squish, punching a hole in the car behind.

Akira rolls over back to his feet as she lets the chimera fall to disintegrate, sweeping the area with his blaster. His Legion sheepishly returns to its bracer. “...Did we do it?”

It's the quiet before the storm. She calls her Legion back to her, reaching out to dust off its blades. “Seems like it...keep your gua-”

“Man, that was easy!” Akira laughs, Legatus held high. “This thing is awesome! Why was dad so worried? We nailed it!”

“Don't jinx-”

Another gate rips open above and behind. “-it. Dammit, Akira!”

The chimera that materializes out of it is _huge,_ its weight alone cracks the ground around it when it lands, the concrete sagging under it. It's completely unlike the others, much more humanoid, one arm shaped like a tower shield, its armour bone white and splitting only around the joints, where it reveals blackened, ridged skin struck through with flowing vessels of blood red energy. It looms over her and Akira, roars, power coursing through its arm, twisting the limb into a large, jagged sword.

She pushes Akira away before diving to the side to avoid the blade the chimera drives into the ground where they were standing. Vibrations run through the road. The highway side breaks off entirely with a resounding crack, the two pieces grinding against each other as their ground slides down little by little; her arm is already raised to command her Legion, her Sword catching her before she can fall over.

“Holy crap!” Her brother stumbles back to her side, wraps an arm around her waist to keep them both stable. “I think this one's a bit stronger than the others!”

She grits her teeth and backs away with him out of reach of a slash, not enough to prevent the following trail of energy from searing the tips of her bangs. “You're truly the _greatest_ detective of our time, oh dear brother!”

“I know, right?!”

“I'm gonna slap you!”

“All officers at Eastside Highway!” A feminine voice calls over their radios; not Alicia, the sounds don't form the right shapes, can't be a regular dispatcher either. “We have a C3 presence on site near the overpass, codename Laius! Regroup!”

“That monster must be what she's talking about.”

Akira nods and pulls her closer as the road tilts to the side, supports starting to groan and deform. “I don't know how long we can keep our footing here.” The chimera slowly makes its way toward them, each breath a puff of red matter. “Can we even take this thing down?”

He extends his arm, but Laius straight up _bats away_ the arrow that Akira's Legion shoots, and hops onto one foot into a roundhouse kick, forcing her and Akira another step back to avoid the red trail it leaves behind. Her Legion doesn't have any more luck than Akira's with its counterattack, its blades as effective as needles against the chimera's shield.

The road slides down a couple more centimetres. Laius laughs, bouncing back to stable ground in a single jump-

“No! You two, move!”

The shriek swallows all other sounds and sensations beside Akira's hand closing around hers. All the supports snap at once, the road pitching forward beneath her feet, concrete and metal bending out of shape until she can see the yawning field of pillars above the buildings of Zone 09. Akira pulls her forward, toward dad's voice, and bits of rock cut into her cheeks, but she's not as quick on her feet, he's always been faster than her-

“Jump! Hurry!” He yells at her, even if he knows, he has to know she can't make it.

She pushes him forward, forces him to leap up to the edge of the opposite road, and he scrambles back up to safety, the weight of his life drawn off her shoulders. The concrete is hard to find purchase on, especially among a rain of broken cars and metal, but if she can just make it to the other side...

A truck smashes into the road beside her.

The ground gives entirely.

She squeezes her eyes shut, curls into herself, the wind whipping past her as she falls.

Night shift really _sucks._

“Akira!”

Her eyes snap back open. Laius slashes apart vehicles in its frenzied path toward her brother, Akira trying to scuttle away from the creature as each of its steps shakes the very ground; Max desperately cuts his way through chimeras and aberrations to reach his son, through large swaths of corruption incarnate, rage and anguish twisting his expression; Jin and Alicia are boxed in by their own opponents, unable to provide help beyond holding back the tide.

And there she is, down there- _oh, pretty_ \- hanging from the Astral Chain by her wrist, hair flaring blue, eyes bleached white, veins of blue energy climbing over her cheeks, and here she is, they are, up here, blue claws wrapped around the chain attached to their neck, looking down at her through its links.

' _Weak,_ ' her Legion drawls, weighing the chain in their palm. ' _The strong have to protect the weak. They are weak. They will die without you. And you. Will die without me._ '

She gasps, possessiveness and devotion running along their bond. They're right. Akira can't defeat Laius by himself; Max can't handle the agony of losing his child, and he would absolutely throw himself into a battle he cannot win, and the loss of three Legions might as well spell out doom for Jin and Alicia. They might take down Laius, but the Astral Plane is infinite, unending, pouring out chimeras until nothing can stand in their way.

The blood roars in her ears.

“Pull me back up.”

Her Legion coos at her, wraps the chain around their arm, and the next thing she knows, she is _soaring,_ the road far below her.

All movements slowing down to a crawl.

All microseconds stretched to their limits.

And she deftly lands into a crouch on their other arm, already extended and locked in place to welcome her. Laius has its back to her, the stupid son of a bitch.

She spins her baton between her fingers, grin feral. There's no more need for words between them, both of them already know how much she wants to _tear_ that _thing_ to _**pieces.**_ With a roar, her Legion throws her toward the road, following close behind with their blade at the ready, and she swings her baton, ripping right through Laius' flesh on contact, energy resonating between her Sword's edge and her own as they meet in the chimera's core. Activated blue matter cleaves through molecular bonds, powerful enough to shred the nucleus to pieces, until it's too much for the chimera's body to handle and the giant topples to its knees in a cross-shaped burst of red matter, crystals popping like bubbles around her.

“Don't. Touch. My brother.”

She turns with her Legion, hops onto one foot and kicks the crumbling corpse of the chimera into the void. Oh, that's beautiful, the way it tumbles down with the rest of the demolished road, and the claws of her Sword gently card through her hair-

“What in the hell was that.”

And she stumbles, part of her brain disconnecting as her Legion retreats away from her dad's voice into their Legatus. The headache hits a moment later, her knees scraping against the ground.

“Akane!” She slaps her hands over her ears, Akira's yell a painful throbbing that makes her want to throw up.

“Woah, hey, kid, give your sister some space!” His presence immediately retreats, out of her reach, but still close enough to provide comfort. Idiot brother.

“Are you okay?” Each finger of her dad's hand gently lands across her back, trying to comfort her even when he can't hold his voice steady. “You nearly gave me a heart attack...”

“Should be.” The nausea recedes enough to let her open her eyes again. He looks like all the blood's been drained from his face. “I'm alright, dad...”

“Damn, girl, you sure you've never used a Legion before?” Alicia crouches beside Max, lips curling into a smirk. “You handled that thing like it was your own arm. Better than your old man, that's for sure.”

“I'm right here, Alicia.”

“I know, Captain.”

The little quarrel gets a snort out of her.

“...Okay. Copy that.” She manages to roll over to a sitting position when Jin gets off his radio and joins the circle, the sound of helicopter electronics above their heads. “Seems like that was all of 'em. Few stragglers here and there, but the UNION officers are already preparing for cleanup. Commander says we'd better get these two back to HQ.” He gestures at her and Akira.

Max nods at that, reaches down to help Akira get her back to her feet. “Alright, you two are coming back with us. I'll try to explain everything on the way...”

* * *

## Understanding

“Three years. I can't believe I spent three years getting fed a _lie_ that I was going to _help_ people, when they were all going to get snatched up anyway! How many did we lose because we thought the gates were the problem? Why would the UNION keep that information to themselves?!”

“Easy, easy, bright eyes. All of this stuff is fairly new. Legions have been around for less than two years, and we just don't have the kind of effective to deal with all the outbreaks yet, so it's easier to tell people to avoid gates than make them panic over monsters they can't see. At least the UNION gives us permission to cover their asses.”

“Jin...”

“Sorry, Captain. Cover their butts.”

“When it's not Alicia, it's you, huh?”

Akane tears off another piece of her protein bar- chocolate and, yep, there's the dusty taste of crickets- and weakly pats her brother on the back as he rubs at his face. “You're gonna pull your stitches, dumbass.”

He grunts, throws a glare her way. “How are you so calm? Aberrations are one thing, but we're talking...interdimensional monsters here! And government interference! ”

“I'm just too tired right now, Akira, give me a break.”

The elevator dings to a stop, opening up to a little makeshift lobby of polished black tiles and black leather benches. It's quiet, just distant noises of keyboards and computers, and the buzz of the hologram on the floor forming an inverted triangle and the letters 'NEURON' above.

Max steps out first, taking the lead to a bigger room stuffed with desks and computers and data banks and other machinery she couldn't identify to save her life. There's a larger desk separated from the rest, pushed toward the back of the room, and an old man sits behind it, silver waves swept to the left, cleanly trimmed moustache and beard around sharp cheeks chiselled by age, green eyes behind a pair of square glasses, which he pushes back up his nose as Jin directs her and Akira to line up in front of him.

“I must admit, when I was handed your profiles, I was not expecting you to perform so admirably,” the man says, tapping a regular rhythm on the armrests of his chair. He leans forward, steeples his fingers below his chin. His eyes dissect her, peels her skin back to peer into her beating heart. “My name is Yoseph Calvert. As you may have figured, I am the man in charge of task force Neuron, and, as of today, your new commander. Your transfers have already been cleared and approved; consider it...a promotion you can't refuse.

Max grunts, catching Yoseph's attention. “You know, commander, I'm still the captain here. Couldn't'a run this by me first?”

“Desperate times, Captain,” Yoseph replies, dragging around a few things on the screen in front of him. An image pops up on the monitor behind him.

She bites down on her lip. Earth. Green and blue, like she's never known it, before the meteor had struck, before the gates had covered the planet, before all of humanity had been forced to retreat to the Ark.

“As you know, humankind is currently facing the very real threat of extinction,” Yoseph proceeds as the image slowly distorts, red and black swirling up from the south pole. “Most believe this to be caused by mass corruption from the gates, but tonight, you have caught a glimpse of the true menace humanity faces: chimeras, invaders from another world beyond the gates, invisible to the naked eye. We thought it wise to hide this information, for long we have been powerless to stop them from dragging us into their dimension, from spreading red matter across the world, from turning humanity, our _people_ , into these monsters you know as aberrations. Until _now._ ” He extends his arms toward them, smiling. “The Legions, captured chimeras neurologically synced to special human operators, like you. The pinnacle of human ingenuity! With this, we can fight back, we can claim back our land!”

“Captured chimeras...?” Akira mutters with a look at his Legatus. She runs a finger along the seams of the Legatus' collar. That's messed up, no matter how dangerous these chimeras are.

“Ah...” Like an embarrassed kid, Yoseph retreats slightly into himself. “I'm sure this must be a lot to take in, especially after tonight's events. You don't need to understand all of it right away; I will provide you with comprehensive documentation on the matter, as I have done with all of our members. But know this: only a precious few have the natural faculties to synchronize with a Legion. Your people need _you_. Your species _chose_ you. I expect great things from you.” His eyes narrow slightly. “Lieutenant Wong, I trust you'll be able to train them to be wonderful Legionis.”

Jin groans. “Oh, so I'm in charge of clearing them? Oh boy.”

“At least I'll know they've got someone competent watching over them,” Max mutters with a smirk.

Yoseph hums. “Of course, you must be exhausted now, after everything that happened. Make sure to get plenty of rest tonight. I am expecting you at 9 AM sharp tomorrow for medical examination, understood?”

“Yessir!” Akira snaps into a salute. Max steps aside to let them pass-

“Oh, before you go, miss Howard.” And she stops in her tracks, turning back to the commander. His eyes shine with...something she'd generously call interest. It makes her stomach revolt. “I was very impressed by your performance with your Legion. Good work.”

She throws a glance toward her dad, catches the frown he tries to hide. It doesn't feel like a compliment. “Uh...thank you, commander.”

“Come on, kids, get yourselves back home,” Max grumbles.

No need to tell her twice. Akira's presence soothes the buzz of anxiety trying to worm its way into her throat as they climb back up to the reception room. He pulls her with him across the lobby, lazily waving to the secretary at the front desk.

Cold air blasts her in the face. June's been colder and rainier lately, as if they need more water when the roads in the lower areas of District 2 keep flooding every other week.

Alicia is leaning against the guardrail near the exit, draining a bottle of water faster than it seems humanly possible, brown hair unbound from her bun, dark skin catching the blue light, and she turns her head toward them as the doors whir shut, offering them a smile and lifting her cap in greeting.

“Hey, guys. You two going home?”

Akane nods, readjusts her jacket. “Are you?”

“Me?” Alicia barks a laugh. “Nah, I just started my shift, actually. I'm waiting on Alan to get his ass in gear. Oh, Alan is one of the officers at Neuron, about your age. Kind of a prick, but he can rival some of the best.”

“I heard that.”

A guy with swept back blonde hair walks out the door, delicately folding the collar of his dress shirt. He comes to a stop in front of Alicia, and she holds out a Creme Puff soda his way. “Speak of the wolf and he shall appear.”

“I'll have you know I don't just ”rival some of the best,” Lieutenant Lopez, I am _the_ best,” 'Alan' says, throwing a haughty look at her and Akira as he takes the drink. “And you two're the new recruits? Tch. More rookies. I'm Alan King, Neuron's number one officer, got that?”

Akane blinks sleepily at the can he points her way. Not just “kind of a prick,” apparently. “Uh...got it. Nice to meet you? I'm-”

“I've already reviewed your profiles,” Alan interrupts. “Akane and Akira Howard, three years at the academy, joined the force on April 6 this year, transferred to criminal affairs on June 7 the same. Still green behind the ears and they give _you_ a Legatus. Unbelievable.”

“Come on, they deserve it,” Alicia fires back, shaking him slightly. Alan grimaces and pops the tab on his soda.

“If you say so, lieutenant. Anyway, we have cleanup to get to, right? I don't want _any_ points off my score.”

“Aight, aight-” And he's already off, power-walking like his life depends on it. Alicia chuckles and shakes her head, turning slightly to wink at them. “Man, this guy needs to give his ego a break. Y'all have a good night, alright? And don't get in trouble, you're gonna give your old man even more grey hair.”

“Uh...yes ma'am.” Akira tentatively smiles back. Alicia grimaces at the term, before she pushes herself off the railing and runs off after Alan, Akira's face melting into a frown once she's gone. “I hope all of Neuron isn't like that guy...”

She nods, wraps an arm around his waist. He's all tense and his muscles twitch in her hold. “Still gonna be stuck with me, though.”

That pulls his lips back into a true smile as he laughs, and they fall in step with each other, two pair of boots sounding as one.

“Figures we'd get transferred to a new department together,” Akira sighs, bumping his head against hers. “It feels weird to say that to my own sister, but...I look forward to working with you.”

“You big sap.” He grunts and rolls his eyes when she pulls him flush against her side. “So sweet I might get a cavity. Now, come on, let's get you home before you keel over.”

“It's not that obvious, is it?”

“Not really.” She takes the keycard from his hand and slips it through the scanner. “For a moment, I wasn't sure if _you_ were shaking or if _I_ was shaking.”

“Hah. What a day, huh? I can hear the hot shower calling me.”

“Careful with your stitches.”

“Yes, _mom._ ”

She slaps the lights on, slips her boots off on the mat; Akira drops off his gear on their chair of stuff, and she pads over to her bedroom as he goes to start the shower, closing the door behind her. The Legatus and bracer hits her nightstand first with a thud, the rest of her uniform thrown into the laundry basket, t-shirt and boxers laid out the night beforehand pulled on. The mirror eases the tightness in her chest, giving her nothing but brown hair, golden eyes, clear skin. No blue. She pulls her collar down, fingers prodding veins and arteries.

The bracer snaps back on. The Legatus spins, activates and her Legion materializes before her, tilting their head in confusion, glowing eyes illuminating the room in a soft, blue-ish white light. Her appearance doesn't change...this time. But she can't _feel_ them. Her vision still distorts, but there's none of the temporal or spatial disconnect, no extra legs or arms or eyes she has to keep track of, there's a boundary between them now, a wall she can't bust through.

' _Call...?_ '

Their voice is scratchy and distant, nothing like the clear arrogance and power they'd displayed when she'd been hanging above certain death. “What did you do to me back there?”

Her Sword leans forward, looks her straight in the eyes. ' _Just...a taste..._ '

“What? A taste of...?” Instead of an answer, her Legion just tilts their head the other way. “I don't know what you're talking about. Do you understand that?”

' _You...refused...'_ The tips of their claws lightly scratch her forehead.

“I feel like I'm talking to a weird dog here...”

' _Woof._ '

She throws the Legatus back on the nightstand.


	2. File 02 [Groundwork]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something that is done at an early stage and makes later work or progress possible; foundation or basis.

## Sister

“ _I wish I could be with you kids all the time.”_

“ _Yeah...me too, dad.” The minty green hospital shirt had scratched up his skin as he wiped at his eyes, cheap fabric to compensate for the costs of equipment. Tears, just a few because he still thought of himself as a big guy who could spend a few days without seeing his dad, were hastily wiped away. Hah. “But, I'm not lonely! Akane is with me!”_

“ _Ah, what'd you do without her, huh?” Dad's chuckle was rough but warm. “You're not annoying her too much, are ya?”_

“ _No!” Akira gasped, puffing himself up, clenching his fists real tight. It always made Dad laugh when he'd tried to copy him, back then. “Why do you think I'm the one annoying her?!”_

“ _'Cuz you've got the face of a lil' monster, mister.”_

“ _I don't!” Dad grinned at him behind his beard, reached out to ruffle Akira's hair. They hadn't gotten much affection at the institute, everyone was so cold and boring, always wearing those bulky suits like they were gonna get sick, even as they repeatedly said there was no danger of redshifting, so Akira leaned into the touch even if he really wanted to tell Dad to knock it off. Big fingers tugged on the few knots in the dark red portions of his hair, bits of red dust falling to the floor and turning black._

“ _I'm glad they kept you together.” He blinked and raised his eyes from the ground to his dad's face. It's still rare to see him so gloomy even today. “Even if I can't watch over you, you'll always have each other. Ain't that right, kiddo?”_

_He nodded slowly, too young then to know what the Pandemic even was. “You okay, dad?”_

“ _Akira.”_

“ _Yeah, I'm fine, sweetheart.”_

“ _Akiraaaa.”_

“Earth to Akira!”

His head snaps up. Two gold orbs hover over him, his sister's eyes clouded by concern as she tugs a glove off to lay her hand- he jerks back- across his forehead. “No fever, cool. Where were you gone to?”

“I...” Her skin is cool and a bit clammy, the bed under him is way softer, the stink of antiseptic a lot more pungent, sticking to the back of his throat...this is the Neuron infirmary. They had a 0900 appointment, right. He went to Caffè Foglie, met Joey, Sarah and Marie, then...there's the buzz of the ECG, the little white and green cart of surgical equipment, the red-brown bottles of medicine. Doctor Moreno is typing up a storm at her computer, and officer Wentz is humming and sweeping loudly out in the hallway, but there's only him and Akane in the little space between the dividers, only him and his other half; he swats away his Legion as it knocks at the back of his mind, desperate for attention.

At least he hadn't dropped his coffee during his trip down memory lane. He takes a sip of cortado and shakes his head. “I got lost in memories, I guess.”

Akane stares at him for a few seconds, hums around the rim of her own cup. “The ARI, huh?”

“Wha- Stop reading my mind.” He waggles his finger at her before she can open her mouth, trying for an admonishing tone. “And don't you _dare_ say twin magic. You already played the big sister card.”

“Come on, the ARI was the first thing _I_ thought of when I came in here, Aki,” she drawls. “A hospital is a hospital is a hospital. I don't need twin magic for that. Besides, you _know_ I'm older than you.” An exasperated glare is all her and her milk moustache deserves. 16 minutes and she managed to get a big head over it. “What part were you thinking about?”

He sighs and drums his fingers on his thigh, openly stares at his sister's hair spilling over her shoulders long enough that she frowns and pulls a strand of it between her thumb and index. “One of dad's visits. I must have been...10 or so. Back when my hair was still all messed up by red matter. Being here after your little transformation yesterday must have made me think of it.” It's not like the first decade of his life is inscribed on the inside of his skull, no sir.

“My transfo...oh.” He can't help a snort when her nose curls up. “That was blue, though, and it didn't stay. And you saw doctor Moreno's report, my red matter levels are just fine, I won't need to go to the ARI again.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, just...let me worry about you for once, alright?”

She crosses her arms across her chest. “I guess that's fair, considering how much you made me worry yesterday.”

“What, you think I didn't worry for you yesterday, miss throw-myself-off-a-falling-road?” He could have easily pulled her up with him.

“Hey, I didn't _throw_ myself off!”

“If she had to go to the ARI, you would have known right away.”

He closes his mouth, and Doctor Brenda Moreno offers him a smile around the divider, the smile of someone who is used to dealing with patients ten times worse than a stubborn Howard without messing up even a single strand of blue hair, and is probably glad to not have to deal with said Howard so early in the morning. Maybe she's even dealt with worse; that'd explain how she can be so nice and patient compared to the ARI lackeys. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overhear, but...considering her high synchronization level, I believe it might have been caused by a spike in the connection between her and her Legion. It's nothing to worry about.”

“A cause to celebrate, rather.”

He startles and snaps into the best sitting impression of a salute he can muster, twisting around to face the door while Akane mutters something that could probably be interpreted as 'sir.' The commander raises a bushy eyebrow at them, grandfatherly smile curling his lips, while Jin pokes his head into the room.

“At ease, both of you.” His sister practically melts into the wall as soon as the commander opens his mouth, but he doesn't seem to care much about her nonchalance, turning instead to Brenda as the doctor spins her chair around, white coat swishing on the back rest. “How are our new recruits?”

“In perfect health, doctor Calvert,” Brenda chirps. “Their blood work is clean, there are no irregularities from the Legatus scan, and both are in peak physical condition, as expected of Max's children. You'd barely know they've been in a fight with a C3 less than 24 hours ago. Officer Wong did a _fantastic_ job cleaning Akira's wounds.” Jin seems to grow five centimetres from praise alone. There's a few beeps from the computer and a long list of numbers he probably couldn't make head or tails of even at his best, but Brenda navigates through the list with practised ease and smiles. “And they've managed to beat our expectations on synchronization: 84% for Akane and 72% for Akira, far above officer Wong's 64%.” That's...a big margin.

Jin whistles, leaning against the side of the divider. “Nice. That's going to make things easier.”

“That is impressive,” the commander agrees with a slow nod. “Then, in your professional opinion, would they be fit to go into the field?”

“If they aren't pushed too hard, I don't see why not,” Brenda replies.

Akira leans forward. “Is there already work for us, commander?” This is more action in two days than there'd been in criminal affairs in two weeks. He hasn't even sat at a desk yet! Nobody foists off their work on him, or asks him to be the coffee boy because he's the little newbie, this little newbie is gonna _save the freaking world!_

“Indeed there is,” the commander confirms. “Time waits for no one, Akira, and chimeras have nothing but.”

His excitement dies down a little when Akane clears her throat, throwing a glance toward Jin. “With all due respect, commander, didn't you want lieutenant Wong to clear us first?”

“I don't believe this operation will put you in any danger,” the commander retorts. “It seems Central City was affected more thoroughly than expected by yesterday's breakout, to the point that a single Legion would take too long to clear it up, and we can't afford to have our citizens kept out of their homes any longer. Your task will thus be to assist Jin and Billy in decontaminating and securing the area within the quarantine lines. The likelihood of encountering chimeras is extremely low, and you will have a superior officer supervising your actions.”

“It'll also help me see how well you handle your Legions outside of a fight,” Jin adds. “This kind of cleanup assignment is standard fare around here, so you'll have to learn how to deal with it.”

Oh. Well, it's better than paperwork.

The commander adjusts his glasses. “Additionally...something of a special task for your team, lieutenant.” Jin frowns and tilts his head toward the commander. “Be on the lookout for any signs of...sabotage.”

“Sabotage? I haven't heard anything about that.”

“This isn't something I wished to broadcast. I have reasonable suspicions to believe the situation in Central City was aggravated by outside forces.”

Holy crap. Akira jumps off his seat. Now that's something he's not gonna be left out of. “Sir, sorry to interrupt, but are you saying yesterday's events were an act of _terrorism?_ ”

“I thought there was something off about the strength of the outbreak,” Akane mutters, resting her chin on her knuckles. Her Legion's core rattles in its bonds. “But I didn't think...how would someone do that, without raising any alarms? I thought the only people who knew about the chimeras were-”

“The UNION, the Aegis Research Institute, and us,” the commander rattles off. “It is possible our perpetrator comes from within our own ranks, yes. I'm sure you can understand my reticence to speak up on this matter publicly.”

“Damn,” Jin sighs- which is a real understatement- running a hand down his face.

“As such, I recommend keeping your Legions close. If someone _summoned_ these chimeras, the Legions might be the only beings capable of discovering _how_.” Akira straightens up as the commander redirects his attention to him. “I realize this is a heavy task to put on your shoulders when you've only started out, but I know you are more than capable. However, your first priority remains to safeguard our people.”

“Understood, commander.”

“Now, don't take example on your father and hurt yourself on your first day,” Brenda calls over her shoulder. “I don't want to see you back here for at least a week, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, doctor,” Akane replies as she pushes off the wall. “I'll do my best to keep Akira from running face first into more chimera claws.”

Akira scowls. “Rude.”

“Alright, you two, no bickering.” Jin mirrors Akane's motion. He sweeps them toward the exit, with the commander closing the rank. “Come on, we've got work to- oh, hey, Olive.”

The woman pivots on her heel, long waves of pink hair falling over her shoulders, pink lips puckered into a smile, waving golden nails at Jin, the bangles around her wrist clinking together, and her eyes are so _blue_. A large golden hoop hangs from her left ear, opposite a comm link. Akira frowns. There's something about her that's so...familiar, but he just can't put his finger on it. “Taking the newbies out for their first walk, lieutenant?”

“Sure, you could say that,” Jin says with a snort. He gestures at the woman as Akane tilts her head. “This is Olive Espinosa, our operator and dispatcher.”

Espinosa? Espinosa...Espinosa...”Wait, Espinosa?” Akira blinks. “Like the newscaster? From ANG9?”

Olive's smile curls into more of a pout. “I haven't worked at ANG9 for the past four years. Your dad needs to find new things to watch.”

“That's...fair, I can give you that.” Talk about a career change, though. “Are you...coming with us?”

“Hm? Oh, no, I was just keeping our resident loner here company in his self-prescribed isolation,” Olive says, gesturing to the officer leaning against the wall beside her. The slow, deliberate pronunciation, the measured pauses, the near constant lilt in her voice. She really is a newscaster.

“I heard what the commander said well enough,” the officer grumbles. Light glints off the black lenses of his glasses and the exposed skin through his buzz cut. “I wear sunglasses, not earplugs. Those are the new recruits?”

Akane nods at him and extends a hand. “Akane Howard.” Akira hums as she bumps her hip against his. This guy just seems like Alan 2.0. “This is my brother, Akira. You must be Billy?”

He's not wearing a Legatus. The fact that he's not wearing the standard helmet is the only way to tell he's not just a run-of-the-mill officer; gods, the UNION's way too attached to their dumb helmet. Joey, Sarah and Marie hadn't been wearing a Legatus either, but that made sense for desk jockeys and the janitor. From the way the commander acts, going out into possible chimera territory without a Legion just seems suicidal, but hey, that's not his basket to deal with.

Shades looks down at Akane's hand for an uncomfortably long time before he reaches out and shakes it. “You could have just used your IRIS.”

“Call me old-fashioned, I like getting to know people without looking them up in a database,” Akane says with a shrug.

“Gotcha.” He offers a nod in return. “Heard you took down a C3 yesterday, so I'll cut you some slack. The name's Billy Williams.”

“William Williams?”

“No. Just. Billy.”

Akira coughs a laugh behind his fist. Okay, maybe he's not so bad.

This time, the elevator rumbles its way up to the rooftop without the pleasantries of bureaucratic opacity.

“You know,” Jin breaks the silence. “Your dad told me you'd joined the force, but I never thought I'd see you again in Neuron of all places.” He pauses and curls a hand to his chin. “Not that it's much of a surprise. You two have always been strong enough to cause trouble.”

“Hey, you'd have been toast without us,” Akane mutters out of the corner of her mouth.

Jin barks a laugh. “I never said I wasn't glad! We need new blood if we ever want to stop the chimeras.”

The roof is a lot more impressive in daylight, helicopters shined to a blinding silver, charging cables crisscrossing over the concrete, activity going in starts and stops as tech staff mingles with medical and police among the crates and forklifts. It's not something he usually sees outside of an emergency situation.

The helicopter's pilot nods as they clamber in.

“I think your dad's also happy you two are here,” Jin adds, leaning back in his seat. “Deep inside. Getting involved with Neuron is dangerous work, but we're here to assist you, okay?” He smiles. “We'll keep you safe.”

Akane digs her elbow into his ribs with a toothy grin. “I'll hold you to that. _Lieutenant._ ”

“Urgh.”

* * *

## Blood

Zone 36, home away from home; Grand Avenue below is peppered with little holographic displays in hanzi and hangul and kanji between the crisscross of pedways, the red lights just bright enough to poke through the remnants of dust floating down from Central City; Rayleigh Plaza is standing tall and mighty even in its old age, little people already browsing its shop fronts despite yesterday's catastrophe, despite the medical teams still cataloguing the diseased on Eastside. Shivers glide down his spine, and even more when the chopper clears the highway and gets closer to the residential areas. There's nobody, no signs of life, nothing, zilch, nada, his IRIS scan can't return anything except an endless blue grid peppered with bits of crystals haloed in orange, red matter making the reticle spike pink.

“Everything working fine?”

He turns his sight back to Jin and Akane, his sister's pupils lit up with the same blue light of the IRIS as his. UAL001059, full name Jin Wong, born July 10, 2048, blood type A, UEY003216, full name Akane Howard, born November 25, 2058, blood type A, it feeds through his neural implant. “I'm pretty sure it's working correctly. I thought you were older than that, though.”

Jin raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? How old did you think I was?”

“Hmmm...mid-30s, at least,” Akane mumbles.

“Seriously?” The other eyebrow joins its counterpart. “I was 19 when I started babysitting you two!”

“I was 10! You were always just uncle Jin to me!” Akane shoots back.

Billy huffs a laugh, nursing the gold and red can of a Spicy Cobra. “Huh. Never took you for the babysitting type, Jin.”

Jin's expression softens. “I can't refuse when my best friend asks me to look over his kids, can I?”

“Hey!” All four of them look over to the pilot as he leans around his seat. “This is about as low as I can go!” 5 metres away from the ground, not too bad. “There's drones in the lockers!”

Akira nods and pulls away from the window, picking out two of the small drones from the compartment behind him, the white and blue devices beeping happily between his hands. The wind ruffles his hair when Billy pulls the door open- he spits out a strand with a grimace. Maybe he should shave his head too.

Jin jumps out first, deploying the rope handle to slow his descent, and Akira throws one of the drones Akane's way before she decides to fling herself down another drop to get to him. She's always got that puppy crush on Jin. He lands beside her and snaps his Legatus onto his left bracer.

It's suffocating down here. No area of the Ark should be this _empty._ They're right in the intersection between Ward and Dasing, Grand Avenue runs just a few metres east, there should at least be _cars,_ and his Legion's near constant whisper in his ears is the only sound around.

“Can everyone hear me?” Olive's voice sings over the radio. Everyone quickly gives an affirmative. “You already know your objective. Lieutenant Wong, organize your team as you wish. My line is always open to anyone who needs assistance. Remember, I can see and hear everything you do!”

Akira nods at Jin. “So, what's the plan here, sir?”

Jin grimaces. “Well, first of all, never call me that again. Your dad and the commander might like their fancy titles, but I don't care for any bootlicking. Just call me Jin and we'll be fine. As for work...you two go down Elias, I'll make my way to the border of District 3. You've seen those red crystals, right?” Akira hums. “That's the red matter we were talking about yesterday. Focus on that. It's what chimeras are made of, so we're the only ones with the necessary tools to clean it up before it gets out of hand.”

“I saw a lot of people in Rayleigh Plaza,” Akane remarks. “We can't let them get caught up in this, it was already bad enough yesterday.”

“Yeah, the UNION quarantined and cleared the streets, but...well, they're not really doing a good job of it, and we've got a bunch of less-than-happy people trying to sneak past. No gates, no danger, as far as they're concerned.”

Akira crosses his arms. Hopefully his expression conveys his disdain well enough “Easier to tell people to avoid the gates, huh?”

“I never said it was a perfect solution.” Jin grunts and twists his wrist. His Legion manifests in an instant, shaking itself with a deep growl. “But fair point. Can't change anything about it now, though, so we'll just have to do our job as quickly as we can. The commander explained the situation, but to be clear: you're not here to fight, okay? Your Legions will clear up the stuff faster than you ever could, so all you have to do is keep an eye on them. Take it easy, get used to syncing with your Legions, and if you even see a chimera, give me or Billy a call.” His radio crackles under his thumb. “Did you get that, Olive?”

“Loud and clear, officer Wong,” Olive responds. “I'll make sure they don't get in trouble.”

“Uh...” Akira raises his hand. “Not to be rude, but how is Billy gonna help us without a Legion, Jin?”

Billy's sunglasses don't stop his stare from burning a hole into his forehead. He reaches down into the pouch at his hip. “Don't need some pet chimera. I can assure you they still don't like a grenade in the gullet.”

“Holy hell!” That _is_ a goddamn _grenade!_ He jumps back as Billy shakes the little blue explosive at him, Akane barking a laugh at his side. “Alright, alright! P-put that back in your pocket!”

Jin snorts. “How do you think the rest of Neuron deals with chimeras? The ARI is working on making more Legions, but we still have more people than we know what to do with. So...”

“Sheesh...they're not...lethal, are they?”

“Not to people,” Billy says. “But it'll mess up a chimera good.” He lightly throws the grenade up and down before pocketing it. “Alright. I'll go check on the security cameras, Jin. Well, try to. I don't know how much the UNION is willing to cooperate.”

“Got it. Keep me updated on that. Akira.” Jin leans toward him. “Keep your sister safe.”

Akira rolls his eyes. “I'm her brother. That's my job, isn't it.” The older man smiles, and it only takes a minute for him to disappear around the corner, his Legion ambling after him.

The electric buzz of a Legatus vibrates through his bones. He casts a look down at his own, alive but deactivated, and _bloody hell_ , he jumps back with a yelp and glares down its owner's grin when Akane's Legion hisses at him. Yesterday's events had been enough of a distraction that he hadn't noticed how much bigger it is than the Arrow Legion, armour bulkier, and where the Arrow's face is smooth metal shaped like a helmet, the Sword is more humanoid, with plates that creak apart to reveal rounded fangs, blue mucous membranes and a slender tongue and, ugh, that's just creepy. It has to be doing that on purpose.

“You're the worst, Akane.”

The sly fox closes her eyes. “You know you love me.”

At least the monster obediently follows after her as they march down Dasing to Elias, past maintenance robots busy patching up holes in the road, dancing around them and picking off bits of free-floating red matter. Akane hums a little song as they go, in tune with the scratching of her Legion pushing crystals into its mouth. Is it their difference in synchronization rate that makes her so comfortable with it? She only stutters in her steps when she has to direct it toward a new heading, while he has trouble just standing straight and making it obey him.

“Hey, Aki.”

He hums as Akane bumps her hip against his.

“How about we make a bet? First one to find evidence buys the other dinner.”

One eyebrow climbs up his forehead. “You want to make a bet when we don't even know if we'll find something?”

“Life isn't that fun without a little risk!” She crows, bringing her Legion back to her with a jerk of her wrist. She's not wrong, although they have very different definitions of 'risk.' “Look, if we don't find anything, I'll...buy you takoyaki? From that food stand in Harmony Square you like so much.”

He'd fight a chimera bare-handed for Sun's takoyaki. His own Legion rumbles at his side. “Oh, you are _on._ I'm winning either way.”

“Oh, you think you're a better detective than me, huh?”

“You said yourself that I was 'the greatest detective of our time,' didn't you?”

“You are _such_ a brat.”

The patches of red matter keep growing in size the closer they get to the quarantine lines, alleyways choked with crystals the size of his fist that his Legion is more than happy to crush between its thin fingers, dust turning blue and vanishing into thin air. By the end of the hour, the shape of the street bricks is imprinted in his soles, and they reach the end of the residential centre in time for the lunch rush to start up further down the street, the air ringing with the sounds of vending machines and cash registers. His boots clang against slowly rusting stairs while Akane sweeps the lower areas of the intersection.

It's a nice vantage point for a lookout, high above Elias and Cowan. Empty market stalls dot the street below, there's a Larger Burger with its machines keeping the store running, Scyon a little ways down the street- he should stop by on his next day off to see the new neural implants- and the top of Rayleigh Plaza looms above the roofs of apartment complexes. Foot traffic would be heavy in the area; easy to hide in the crowds, easier to spread the redshift around. The commander's documentation had been very clear that a single chimera of C-Scale C2 could lead to 30 aberrations in a suburban area, without any kind of help some terrorist might've provided.

He turns his eyes toward the lights of the quarantine lines as a bunch of voices all start shouting over each other. Urgh, gods help those poor officers. Protesters were always the worst to deal with during training, always too angry to listen to logic, always thinking they knew better than him how the UNION worked. Well...maybe they do, and maybe their anger is justified. He pauses and drums his fingers on the handrail. How easy would it be to just march down there and spill the truth? He's not a revolutionary or anything like that, but how many people could have been saved if the UNION hadn't left everything up to the commander? If they'd _all_ worked together against the chimeras? Maybe they wouldn't have had to abandon their lands, maybe they could have contained the meteor...

His radio beeps. “Hey, bright eyes. Can you hear me?”

Ah, well. He'd probably get thrown in jail and have his life blacklisted away. He frowns and looks back down the street. “Loud and clear, si- uh, Jin. Did something happen?”

“I'm just checking in, making sure everything's okay on your side,” Jin replies. “It wouldn't be the first time our line's cut out, and...maybe I'm a bit paranoid thanks to yesterday.”

The heat of Laius' sword still burns his cheeks. He shudders. “Don't remind me. We're fine. Akane is having the time of her life.” He leans against the railing, raising an eyebrow at the sound of Akane's muted swear and the trash can that almost spills over everywhere. “Okay, almost the time of her life.”

Jin chuckles. “You don't seem so enthused yourself.”

“Well, I don't feel like I'm going to throw up, at least, but...” The Arrow Legion perks up, and Akira loosens his mental hold slightly to let it go wander about, giving up on its sight and hearing. Hopefully it doesn't cause any mischief.

“But?” Jin prompts him.

“Is there any way to raise your synchronization rate?”

Jin hums on the other end of the line. “Are you having trouble with your Legion?”

“No, not...really. It's just...” How does he phrase this without sounding like the jealous little brother? “Akane...looks like she's having an easier time controlling hers. I'm still getting dizzy.”

“Ah, so that's the crux of it.” Jin's sigh comes out as pops of static. “Akira, comparing yourself to her is pointless. Your Legion might look humanoid, but it doesn't feel or think like us. The mental link gives it a bit of that understanding it needs to cooperate, but you need to give it time to learn how _you_ think and act. Sometimes it has the right temperament and everything clicks between you two, and sometimes it's a bit of a learning curve.”

Jin doesn't hold back his punches. “So...like a cat.”

“ _Exactly_ like a cat _,_ and it's gonna push your glass to the ground a few times before it gets the idea to _not_ do that. Except the glass, in this case, is your brain. Nothing your synchronization rate can change about that.”

“Fun. You know, there's a reason why I don't keep cats at home.” _Hereherehere._ He blinks, raises his eyes back up and swivels on his heels to stare at the chain his Legion is rattling vigorously.

“Look, it's your first day, Akira, don't worry about it so much. When your dad started out, he couldn't even reach above 30% sync. Hah, it's a miracle if he can reach 50% these days, his Legion keeps throwing temper tantrums...but that doesn't mean he can't kick my ass anyway.”

' _Herehere!_ ' Legions can _talk?_ Legions can talk. The creature does a slow spin around a pair of trash cans as he walks over, fingers itching for his baton. Nothing it finds can be good news.

“Akira?”

“Uh, give me a minute, Jin.” Urgh, the smell is _awful._ The June heat and humidity drags out all the worst sour tones of decomposing foodstuff, even with the air fresheners, a...full container of thick sauce and pasta thrown irreverently on top; come on, what is this, amateur hour? He could have done better a decade ago.

His Legion looks pointedly between him and the trash can. “You didn't do that, did you?”

It turns its head to stare at him with its eye slits. Right. He sighs and rolls up his sleeves, pulls on his gloves for safety. “This better be worth it...Sun's takoyaki is worth it.”

With a 'shlorp' and strings of congealed tomato liquid, the polystyrene peels away from the mass, and the sauce-turned-gelatin wobbles as he drags it around with the foam's edge. Something, glass, tinkles on the outer edge.

“Hey, hey, Aki!” Akane calls over the radio, but there's no way he can answer _now,_ not when his Legion leans into his personal space, armour digging into his shoulder, not when he pulls out some kind of glass tube, half-buried, half-broken, from the sauce and compost, a faded purple substance caked inside.

He peels off one glove with his teeth and reaches for his radio. “Hey, Jin, I think I found something.” One tiny purple drop rolls down the glass to the walkway...and the metal warps on contact, wobbles, bending into cubic shapes that rise and fall and slide and- the awful squeal the Arrow makes would have shredded his ear drums if it didn't come from within his own head _._ “Yeah, I _definitely found something._ ”

Jin makes a small noise on the line. “You too?”

“What do you mean, me too?”

“Akane just called to tell me she found something in a trash can that made her Legion freak out.”

Oh, _goddammit._ He clicks the channel open to his sister. “Let me guess, glass tube, coated with weird purple liquid, makes the ground do crazy things?”

“Hey, you finally re- wait. Did you find one too?”

“Yeah, in one of the trash cans on the walkway above Elias and Cowan.”

“Way to go, little bro!” Urgh.

Jin sighs. “Okay. Akira, stay there. Akane, regroup with your brother. I'll meet up with you two in a few.”

“Alright. I'm not going anywhere.” He clicks his radio back off and flips the glass tube around, pushing his Legion back a step to get the light. It's close to noon, the sun is up high, and the substance blooms into bright magenta as soon as it catches the rays; the serpentine lines running through the muck makes his breath run short, pulsing with the same energy that had coursed through Laius...he looks down to his Legion, the creature hovering close to the ground, and with a wave of its hand over the still distorted walkway, the patch of metal settles into an approximation of what it used be, give or take a few irregular crystalline growths piercing through, coloured a solid black, veins of red crawling up the sides.

Nausea creeps up his throat as he stares at the spot. Aberrations constantly have crystals popping through their skin. If he were to drink it, would it do the same to him, would it destroy and twist him to the chimeras' tune?

He takes a deep breath as the walkway rings with the sound of footsteps, and Akane pops her head into his peripheral vision. “Got here as fast as I could. Whew. What're you looking at? Oh-” One of the growths creaks. “What.”

“A drop of...this,” he raises the glass tube, “fell to the ground...and my Legion...I think that's redshift. Was redshift...do you think that's what it does to people?”

Akane hisses through her teeth. “I-Okay. That's. Okay. Here, hold this.” He reflexively grabs the- that's another glass tube. Unbroken, but still covered in the same purple stuff. He pushes the vial back into his sister's chest.

“Fu- I don't want to hold that!”

“I don't want to hold it either!” Akane fires back. “You're telling me this stuff causes redshift!”

“So you're handing it to me?!”

“You're more resistant to it!” Fair, but _fucking hell!_ He growls and gingerly takes the tube between his thumb and index.

Jin runs up to them an awkward fifteen minutes later, slightly winded. “Report.”

Akira knocks his feet together and presents the glass tubes. The damn things still shine between his fingers and his Legion retreats into its bracer with wobbly vocalizations. “Like I said over the radio, I found this in the trash can right here. A drop of it rolled to the ground right there, and it...well, it's like the ground redshifted. I'm pretty sure.”

“What?” Jin frowns. “Let me see that.”

“Found the same glass vial in a trash can on Cowan,” Akane says as Jin crouches to get a closer look at the warped metal, crossing her arms over her chest. “I didn't drop anything, but I accidentally knocked over a trash can while I was cleaning up, and suddenly my Legion started snarling and trying to pull away from it.”

“What the hell is in that thing,” Jin mutters and reaches for his radio. “Olive, can you patch me through to the commander?”

“I already heard everything, Jin,” the commander's voice answers instead. “It appears I was right to be concerned. Akira, would you kindly hold the vials up to the camera? Olive, bring the picture to the display.”

“Right away, commander,” Olive says, while Akira does his best to get the two vials in full view of his body cam, finally useful for something.

There's a moment of silence. Then a frustrated sigh from the commander. “As I suspected.”

“Commander?”

“It seems the past is catching up to us. I know who is responsible for this.” Well, that can be good or bad. “I assume all of you are familiar with the Pandemic?”

Akira meets his sister's and Jin's eyes. Who isn't familiar with it? He could laugh. “Biggest outbreak of redshift on the Ark? It's a little hard to forget, sir. Zone 09 is still locked down 20 years later.”

“We were born there, sir,” Akane adds through a grimace.

“Yes, one of our greatest failures,” the commander laments. “However, what you may not know is that its inception could be directly attributed to the mistakes of the ARI. Specifically, a mistake I made toward an assistant of mine.”

Akira distracts himself from _that_ particular piece of information as the Legatus' projector flickers. A young woman, looking mid-30s, golden hair and bright blue eyes with heavy purple makeup painting her lips and eyelids, stares back at him.

“Jena Anderson was the head of the ARI at the time, working under my supervision on the mysteries of the chimeras. She was an amazing researcher, my brightest star, instrumental to the creation of the X-baton and setting the groundwork for my Legionis program. And, I remember well, on the first of March, 20 years ago, she put into effect an incredibly effective anti-redshift medication. A thin vial of purple liquid distributed into Zone 09, the area most affected by redshift...”

Akane's eyes grow round as beads, taking a step back even as she extends a hand toward him. “Commander, are you saying this thing _caused_ the Pandemic?”

“Something...very similar to it, I'm sure,” the commander sighs. “I never found the composition of Jena's medication; shortly after Zone 09 was closed off, she destroyed all of her samples and research and vanished. No one has been able to locate her since then. However, the construction and materials of the vials are definitely from the ARI, and Jena is the only one with the knowledge to create such substance. Everything lines up too perfectly to think she is uninvolved.”

“That's...” There's no way he can understand, but he has to ask anyway. “Commander, why would _anyone do this?_ ”

“Only Jena could answer that, I'm afraid. She often spoke up against the UNION's decisions; perhaps this is what she considers her revolution.”

“People _died._ ”

“I know, Akira.”

“So we're looking for an affiliate or an employee of the ARI, right?” Jin asks.

The sound of a tapping finger comes through the line. “I doubt Jena would be so conspicuous. No, if she was able to circulate this drug without notice, it was by civilian means.”

Well, he and Akane didn't go through three years of training for nothing, apparently. Akira clears his throat. “We should send the vials in to see if we can get any fingerprints off them.”

“That's...not really our domain,” Jin mumbles. “We'll have to let the regular police handle that. But I can use my old tech division credentials to get it priority, at least.” He fiddles around with his radio and taps his foot. “Hey, Billy, how's the security camera footage coming along?”

Billy grunts. “Not gonna happen. I even tried explaining we're looking for terrorist activity, and they told me to come back with a warrant.”

“Why not just hack the cameras with our Legions, then?”

Jin slowly turns and sticks him with a confused look. “What?”

“Legions can do that?” Akane asks.

Akane, he can understand, but Jin? Jin, really? Akira sighs. “Are you telling me neither of you read the documentation the commander made on Legions?”

“What do I look like, a nerd?” The two of them pipe up at the same time. Akane stares at Jin and narrows her eyes.

“No offense, Jin, but you _do_ look like a nerd.”

“Hey, _this_ ,” he gestures at his face, “is the techie look, little ruby.”

Akane averts her eyes with a huff and a light blush. Idiots. His dumb, lovable idiots, but idiots anyway.

“I'm glad to have such a diligent student,” the commander says softly.

“I do my best, commander.”

Jin shakes his head. “Well, sorry, it looks like you're the only one here who read that, Akira. Can _you_ take care of the cameras?”

Akira sighs and rolls his shoulders. Maybe he'll get some good points in with the commander for actually paying attention to his elders' advice. “Sure, I can do that. Give me five minutes and I'll upload it to my IRIS.”

“That's useful,” Jin mutters behind him as he turns away and summons his Legion back. As long as he doesn't have to think about his own body, the commands easily flow across their bond, and the Arrow hums and effortlessly floats up to the camera, knobby hands closing around the device. With a bit of luck, the encryption algorithm shouldn't be too complicated, maybe a simple time-based random number generator, and he'll just have to shuffle around a couple thousand bits instead of tens of thousands. Easy. He's done it before on a computer, and a Legion's brain is just a really advanced computer, isn't it? Even in the worst case scenario, it shouldn't be hard to brute force through it, all he has to do is-

“IRIS startup.” He startles back into his body in time for the electric signals to skitter across his nerves; the intersection flares back to life in a pulse of blue. Green silhouettes pop in around him, walking down the streets, around the Larger Burger, into and out of Scyon, while the footage slowly trickles through into the AR display.

His Legion settles back at his side, radiating pride. The IRIS bombards him with a series of codes- UAL002313, UAL004811, UAL009712- that's a lot of guff, but also much more information provided than he would get from calling in at the station, without him even lifting a single finger. He almost pets the creature. The commander's creations are _amazing._

He trims out anything outside of the intersection within one blink, then it's a simple matter of marking out the paths between the two trash cans in the next to pick out the two silhouettes making several trips to and fro across the intersection, and a third he highlights loitering around and “sneakily” exchanging messages with the other two. He waves over Jin and Akane.

“That was fast,” Jin comments. “Do you need help patching us in?”

He shakes his head and twists his Legatus. “Doctor Moreno told us how to do it.” What was the frequency for the imaging system already? 2...334.10. Right, there it is, Integrated Reality Imaging System. “There. You can see the paths I marked. I made sure to focus only on the roads here, and those two guys kept showing up on yesterday's footage. They're also the last ones to have used the trash cans, at 1900 hours, an hour before the outbreak. I'm guessing the third is their go-between.”

“You know, I have to ask...is this implant legal?” Akane winces as she activates her own IRIS. “This seems awfully like invasion of privacy.”

Akira rolls his eyes. “Come on, we're looking for a _terrorist_ , sis, we're not using it on everyone around. Besides, I think we have good reasons to skip due process.”

“I...guess you're right. Wow, these guys aren't subtle.”

“So, should we put out a warrant for their arrest, Jin?”

Jin scoffs. “Don't let it go to your head, Akira. We don't arrest anyone on conjecture and coincidences. We don't know the composition of the stuff in those vials, we don't know if or how this Anderson is involved here- we make a wrong move and we might lose our only leads. I'm letting the captain and the commander decide what to do from here.”

“Oh.” Isn't protecting the people more of a priority than walking on eggshells around _criminals?_ It'd be easier to bring them in and rake them over the coals until they talked. He takes a deep breath before something dumb can spill out of his mouth. He's not the leader here. “Okay. What now?”

“We file that aside and finish what we're here to do.”

They're going to let terrorists run around. Dammit.

“And then I'm going to train you as soon as we get back to HQ.” Akira looks up. Jin scratches at his stubble. “Better be ready when shit hits the fan.”

* * *

## Pause

The small tech division of Neuron sits opposite the training room, a cramped den of data banks, tool boxes and bins of transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors and memristors, integrated circuits and transducers, filters and power supplies of various types. Fuel-based, electromechanical, photovoltaic, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, electrostatic. Spools of metals and plastics rest beside the BF2 printing chamber, the beast of a machine sleeping peacefully in the corner of the room, and the bores of the UNION continue to hollow out the Earth beneath the Ark.

“When was the last time you had this thing updated?”

Akira turns away from the shelves and his observation, winces at both the admonition and the bruise on his ribs. 'Going to train you,' more like 'put you through ten thousand kinds of hell.' “That's just what the superintendent had for us when we enrolled.”

“I can't believe this is what they hand out to new recruits,” Shinjiro mutters through his gaiter, knocking the baton into a spin. Tabitha fumes behind her mentor, her one eye not covered by a medical eyepatch narrowed into a thin slit.

“ _I_ can't believe this is what they do to my poor babies,” she growls. She sounds like she's about to cry when she looks at him. “You fought chimeras with that thing? It's practically stock!”

Akira shrugs. “Just...two of them. The Legions did most of the work.”

“Oh, that's just awful. Let me fix it up for you!” She shouts over her shoulder as she pulls out a few bins from the shelves. “Ted! Give me the material code for the gladius!”

Ted grunts and slams a wheel into the drone he's operating on.

“Ted!”

“Hey, pal.” With a box of- urgh, _Electric Babel_ , who gets EB for lunch- Akane walks back into the room and knocks its edge against Ted's helmet, snapping him out of his trance with a clank of metal against metal. His IRIS shuts down. “It's rude to zone out when someone's talking to you.”

Ted blinks and laughs nervously. “Oh! Oh, hey, sorry, I was just revisiting some of my favourite explosions. Ted Garcia, at your service!”

“I know, we've met.”

“Oh, have we? Ha ha.”

Akane shakes her head and waves from Tabitha to Ted. “He's all yours. Come on, Akira, let's give them space to work.”

“Huh?” She pats his shoulder and grabs a fistful of his jacket to pull him out of his seat- “Hey!”

“Come on.” Where's the fire? He stumbles after her as she leads him out of the room and wraps her arm around his shoulders, shaking him gently. “How was your training?”

“Worse than yours, apparently, if you've got that much strength left.” That, or she's just better than him at hiding sore muscles and bruised skin, and if that's the case, he wants to clock her over the head for doing something so stupid. They have an infirmary now, and someone who will actually take care of them instead of putting a patch on it and calling it a day. Nothing that can fix nasty hits, though. “Jin kicked my ass into next week and dragged me back. I didn't think I'd be so...outclassed.”

“He's put in the work,” Akane croons, love-struck little smile curling her lips. She pushes him onto the bench a few steps down the hallway, and shoves herself beside him, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, curling against him until her body is just a warm ball of fabric and her hair tickles his cheek. “Takoyaki?”

She pops open her EB box and- that's not Electric Babel. The little balls of fried dough smell divine, topped with daikon and mayonnaise. She grins. “You know I'm the recycling kind of gal.”

“That's from Sun's shop.”

“Yeah, I went by Harmony Square while Jin was wiping the floor with you. She gave me an extra just for you.”

“But I lost the bet. You found your vial before me.”

Akane smiles innocently. “Never said this was about the bet. Maybe I was just tired of single-cell protein. Maybe I was just feeling like takoyaki.”

There's no way he can keep down his own smile. Gods, he has the best sister, doesn't he.

The Legatus warns him of an incoming call just as he bites into his portion. He swipes a bit of mayo off the corner of his lips and brings the projector to life. “Hello?”

“Akira.” The commander's voice makes him straighten out automatically. Akane turns her head away. “I thought you would be glad to hear we've managed to bring in the suspects you discovered for questioning. We may not be able to arrest them, but they might be able to provide us with valuable information on Jena's whereabouts. Good work.”

 _Yes._ That's how a job is _supposed_ to go. “Oh, well, I'm just doing my job, commander.”

“Then keep it up. That is all.”

He hadn't done much. At...all, really. He'd just walked around, letting his Legion do everything, letting this creature, no matter how amazing a tool it might be, lead him where it should, and he'd just found something by complete coincidence. He hadn't even been the first, and Akane has an IRIS she could have used to identify the culprits, and hacking isn't something only he can do, anyone could have-

“Hey.” Akane brings him back down to Earth with a light kick to the shin. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

He hums and pops the rest of the octopus ball into his mouth. He needs something to do. “Do you want to go for a spar after lunch?”

“Sure. You know I always talk better with my fists.”

You and me both, sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter to let us experience Akira's point of view and get the ball rolling for File 03. This boy needs a therapist.
> 
> Just as a heads-up, the next chapter might take a little longer to come out, since I like having a buffer of at least two chapters, and I'm just wrapping up File 04.


	3. File 03 [Unchained]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To free from or as if from chains; to set loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to upload this on Friday, but oof, let me tell you, when I said there would be a delay, I didn't think it was gonna be "spending my weekend recovering from appendicitis." But it's finally here! Enjoy!

## Initiation

Their X-batons clash in a flurry of blows and sparks.

Step to the left, dodge under the swipe of the Arm Legion, ignore the dull throb behind her eyes to send her Sword to counter Jin's jab, the two of them crashing together with a deafening ring of metal. She growls, grits her teeth and coils the chain around her wrist, pulls her Legion in front for them to push back against Jin's while she quickly dances to the right to avoid a burst of five shots from his blaster. Her X-baton snaps out to meet his gladius form, the weight of its bulk forcing her to wrap both hands around the handle. Jump away, let the inertia of the gladius carry Jin forward into her retaliating strike, but she stumbles in pain as the Arm Legion smashes their fists over her Sword's crest, and Jin takes the opportunity to dash past her defense, his hand closing around her collar-

Her back slams into the floor, a X-baton pressing against her throat. Jin's knee pins her in place, his panting a loud boom that slowly works back down to normal.

Dammit. Dammit!

She takes a deep breath herself and taps his shoulder, letting her Sword's core settle back into the Legatus, whisking away their presence and emotions to the back of her mind.

“Boooooooo! That was sloppy, Howard!” Joey's mechanical voice warbles out of his respirator. She turns and narrows her eyes at the lineup- Joey on the left, his head a blob of dusty red in her blurry vision, Sarah his eternal shadow, then Roy and Li Fang- before flipping her middle finger up at him.

“Whose side are you on, Wood?!”

“The side that doesn't suck!” Joey counters. Roy laughs, and she laughs along, sitting back up to point an accusatory finger at Joey.

“I'd like to see _you_ try to manage two brains at once, you jerk!”

Li Fang snorts, cards her fingers through her ponytail. “He can't even manage one.”

“Oi!”

Alicia's clapping ends the argument before it begins. “Alright, alright, kids, playtime's over!” She shouts.“You go back to work now!”

Their four spectators all groan in unison. It takes a bit of grumbling before they all file out of the training room, and the sound of heels click-clacking against the tiles quickly fades away past the soundproof glass. Akane gladly takes the hand Jin offers, pulling her to her feet.

“Five minutes longer than your last session,” he says, brows furrowed even as his eyes twinkle. “Five minutes can be life or death in a serious fight. Your footwork is getting more consistent.”

Seven minutes is just pathetic, though. What's all her training for? “I could still do better, though.”

“Hey, it's not bad for someone who's never been taught how to fight something intelligent,” Alicia adds, putting her hands on her hips. “I have to agree with Joey, though. I've watched you two train a handful of times over the past week, and this is the first time I've seen you lose your grip on your Legion, girl. The Arm Legion isn't the Axe, but it's still big and slow, no way it should've taken you by surprise like that.”

Akane grimaces and rubs the back of her neck. “That's...” No, it- _they_ shouldn't have. Not if she could keep her Legion's anger in check, if it didn't burn in her chest and her head whenever she pulls them close, if their bond didn't evaporate at the slightest distance. If her Legion would just _tell her_ , give her any kind of hint of what pissed them off so much, and if this five-day headache would _stop._

“Something on your mind?” Jin prompts her when she fails to continue.

Well, if she can push past her uneasiness around the commander, she can push past a bit of pain. They don't need to waste time over her well-being. She shakes her head. “No, it's nothing. You're right, Alicia. I made a mistake. Won't happen again.”

Alicia raises an eyebrow, piercing golden brown eyes looking right through her. “You're a terrible liar,” she states, with a small shake of her head. “But I won't pry. As long as you keep yourself safe.”

“Hey, you done with trainin'?”

Max's silhouette fills the doorway of the training room, the light glinting harshly off the two jagged scars over his eye. Alicia grins and drags a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Just about, Captain. You need something?”

Max jerks his head in the direction of the hallway. “Come here.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

Akane glances at Jin as Alicia saunters over to Max. He's staring into empty space, a hand curled around his chin; she takes the opportunity to dig her palm into her eye, the pressure a nice balm to the pulsing behind her sockets.

“I cleared Akira this morning,” Jin announces out of the blue. That's not surprising; her brother has more dedication than everyone in Neuron combined. “Do you think you still need more time?”

“Huh?”

Jin nods at Max and Alicia. “The Captain has that look on his face that says we're gonna be hitting the ground running. Having you and Akira along would definitely be a big help, but I don't want to push you if you're not feeling well. I can convince the commander to give you-”

“I'm fine. You've seen what I can do.” It's not because she _can_ tolerate the commander that she's gonna put herself in a situation where she has to spend more time in his presence. She'd rather walk at her brother's side. “Akira's gonna need someone to back him up, anyway. Besides, there's only so much paperwork I can do before it gets mind-numbing, you know.”

Jin snorts. “Alright, little ruby.”

“Attention, all Neuron officers.”

Everyone raises their heads to the speakers in response to Olive's announcement.

“The police have requested Neuron's assistance. I repeat: the police have requested Neuron's assistance. Please report to the command room.”

“I hate when I'm right.” Jin clasps her shoulder and gives her a wavy smile. “Well, let me officially welcome you to the team.”

“So?” Alicia strides back over to them, her expression uncharacteristically serious. Max crosses his arms and stares from the doorway. “Is she coming along?”

Jin nods. “Yeah. One mistake doesn't mean she hasn't shown a lot of potential. The Sword Legion will be a great asset in a fight. And having her face actual opponents is way better than simulations.”

“Tch,” Max spits. “Don't talk like we're gonna fight anything right off the bat.”

Akane sighs to herself. Count on Captain Dad to worry over nothing.

“Sorry, Captain.” Jin rolls his shoulders and turns back to her. “We'll go on ahead. Go clean up and change into your gear, alright?”

She hums in assent, deactivates and pockets her X-baton before following after Jin.

Jin, Max and Alicia disappear into the elevator, and Sarah steps out of the shadows to stop her short. Has she ever seen her without Joey around? But there's no sight of her partner, and Akane leans back as Sarah stares at her. The bandages wrapped around the right side of her face droop slightly, while her singular eye roams from side to side. If she stuck behind without Joey, then...Akane smiles. She's just worried, isn't she?

“Don't worry, Sarah, I'm not mad, I know Joey was just joking around.”

Sarah blinks a few times, then nods. Nailed it.

By the time she makes it up to the command room, clad in uniform and not smelling of sweat, the other four Legionis are already assembled in front of the commander's desk, and the rest of Neuron is crowding the computers, reports and tablets spread everywhere, Alan trying to keep the mess in order with his typical scowl twisting his features. He's gonna get wrinkles early if he keeps doing that. Akane jogs over to slot herself between Akira and Max and stands to attention, arms behind her back. Her brother shuffles closer.

“Good, everyone's here.” Olive smiles and nods at each of them. “Then let's begin. The police in Zone 36 have requested our help on a case.”

“Damn, talk about unlucky,” Jin mutters. “Just getting hit with one thing after the other, aren't they.”

Akira frowns. “Does this have to do with...you know?”

Anderson _could_ be the kind of genius scientist reckless enough to strike twice in the same area.

“Officer Powell and officer Aiba didn't report anything out of the ordinary during their preliminary investigation.” Olive hums, fingers flitting about the five screens open before her. “So this just seems like a standard operation.”

“Wouldn't surprise me if a chimera just decided to take advantage of the chaos.” Alicia says. “Alright, hit us up, operator.”

“Right.” Olive nods. “About an hour ago, we received a call that an unusually large number of gates had opened up along Grand Avenue. A lot of gates means a lot of redshift. The local police are doing their best to handle the aberrations, but, again, we're looking at way more gates than usual; to say they have their hands full is an understatement, even with the support of officer Powell and Aiba. And we know gates don't just appear without a chimera around.” She shakes her head. “Not in these numbers. That's why the regular police need your help. Get out there, find that chimera and take it down!”

“I'll fill you in on the details of the operation on the way,” Max adds to the rest of them.

With a wave of her hand, Olive dismisses her screens. “We don't know what this chimera is capable of yet. You'll have your Legions with you, but still, keep your guard up. That is all.”

“Neuron,” Yoseph finally addresses them. “There are only five people on the Ark who can stand against the chimeric threat, and all of them are in this very room. You all have the power, and the will. Do not let me down. Now, move out!”

Akane salutes with the others. No point antagonizing her boss for nothing. “Roger!”

They slowly, silently head up to the roof, stepping out one by one until they've formed a tight circle in front of the helicopter.

“Alright, everyone!” Max calls out once they've all lined up. “Let's get something straight: we don't know what the hell we're gonna find out there. We'll meet up with the police first and get as much info as we can.” He points a finger at her and Akira. “If we happen to meet our mystery chimera, you leave it to me, Alicia and Jin, got it?”

Akira grunts. “That's...”

“That's what? You got something to say, cadet?”

“Well...” Akira scratches the back of his head. “Jin has been training us for a week, so I thought we could...”

“No way!” Max interrupts. “You two are to gather information. No heroics! Captain's orders, is that clear?”

“But...”

Alicia knocks her knuckles against Akira's chest plate. “Hey, come on. Maybe the Captain is a teensy bit overprotective, but you're new, and if you bite off more than you can chew, we're all in trouble. It's the right call.”

The strong have to protect the weak.

Akira's lips purse together as he bites the inside of his cheek. “...Roger, Captain.”

“Great. Alright, Neuron, let's roll!”

* * *

## Sortie

They barely have time to land that Avery is already jumping and waving at them, even though the stripes of retroreflectors and the red lights bouncing off her sunny hair makes her about as hard to notice as a pop-up ad, trusty Alkali-Cocoa in her hand, Mitsuru bent over at her side. “Hey, guys!”

Jin waves back. “Hey yourself, Powell, Aiba. This place is a wreck, huh?”

It's not that bad. Better than Eastside last week. Remnants of bridge and road and cars litter the front entrance of Rayleigh Plaza in a roughly 3 by 3 meters area, pieces of rebar poking out of what was once a walkway between the two towers of the mall; the glass doors of the buildings are wide open, having just barely escaped intact from the collapse, and a handful of the officers not busy assisting civilians are congregated inside, probably, hopefully, looking for clues. None of the stores around show any sign of damage, no bodies to report. The logo on the hologram divisions encapsulating the main street switches over from the UNION's star to Neuron's inverted triangle as they step onto the scene.

“Aye, it's not pretty!” Avery jumps from foot to foot. “And we can't get the officers around to tell us a peep! They clam up faster than, uh, clams!”

“It's...not all bad, though,” Mitsuru rasps. “The UNION cleared...us for this case, so we've got...the security footage. I heard...you guys had trouble with that...last week. I already uploaded it to the database...along with our report.”

“I can confirm,” Olive says on the group channel. “I'm already connecting it to your IRIS, Captain.”

Max grunts and pats Mitsuru on the back. “Alright. Thanks for that, you two. Go take a break, Aiba.”

The two officers salute and break away to the perimeter lines. Max raises his hand, waves his Legatus in indication before snapping it onto his arm, and Akane follows suit, clicks all around her as each Legatus activates.

“Listen up!” Max shouts. “We've got nothing to go on right now, except that our perp is _probably_ a chimera. If it _is_ , we need to find out as much as we can before we engage. You know what that means. IRISes on, people!”

With a nod, the blue grid expands across her sight, blotting out the stars above. Jin patches them in to the security footage; green silhouettes run past her in fright, moments in time freezing orange as she locks her eyes on them, and the walkway rewinds and falls, over and over. There's no traces of explosives or heavy tools to have caused this much damage to the structure.

“I hope all these people made it out alright,” Alicia mutters. “And that they didn't bring any corruption home with them.”

Olive hums. “I'm going to send out a message to the UNION police to keep an eye on the victims. The ARI has enough capacity to take in a few more people.”

“Heh. Thanks, Olive.”

“Cadets.” Akane looks up at Max. “Since this is your first time investigating a chimera, I want you to take point. Investigative ability is important, even in Neuron. Let's see how well they taught you in criminal.”

“Not a bad idea,” Jin says, crossing his arms over his chest. “You should already be able to spot some pretty big clues without even moving from here. Don't forget we also have Aiba's report.”

She nods, glancing over to Akira as he pulls up said report through his Legatus. Pretty big clues without moving, huh...

“Reporting officers UBF005289 Avery Powell and UBF005294 Mitsuru Aiba arrived at the scene at 2247,” Akira reads off. “UEY003237 Sandra Nogami and UGC001965 Seiya Morris provided camera footage. Witness UBF005331 Zi Hao Uehata states that a gate opened on the bridge of Rayleigh Plaza around 2207, followed by shaking that brought down the bridge around 2213. Four cars were crushed, all empty at the time. Camera footage corroborated the testimony, and revealed that the bridge was unoccupied at the time of the crime. No signs of tampering were found.”

Alicia taps her foot. “No direct victims, nothing used to damage the walkway...pretty weird, right?”

Pretty weird alright. Akane slows the speed of the footage down to a crawl. There's always evidence, or a lack thereof. Even a chimera should leave some trace behind, but the ground is clear, and there's no red matter anywhere. She looks up to the bridge...the bridge... sags, and the railing crumples from both sides, concrete shattering as it's compressed toward the middle and pulled down. If aberrations can fly, chimeras might be able to, right?

She turns to her little brother. “Chimeras don't show up on camera, do they?” He sighs and gives her a long-suffering look.

“You still haven't read the documentation?”

“Gimme a break, I'll read it when we get back. Just answer the question.”

“Uh-huh, sure. Well, no, they don't, recording equipment goes on the fritz around chimeras. Either you get static or plain footage. Something about the way their atoms are formed.”

Max's voice has a tinge of pride in it. “Found something?”

She points toward the previous location of the walkway. “I don't know, but...look at how the bridge collapsed. It kind of curves down in the middle, right? Almost like something was trying to drag it down.”

“Good eye,” Jin says with a smile and a nod. “That's definitely not something a human could do. Does that tell you anything about possible physical characteristics, then?”

“It's...big?” Akira ventures. “Or at least its hands must be, if it was able to grab on to a bridge, of all things.”

“And why would a chimera want to bring down a bridge?” Alicia asks.

“Well...” Akane taps her fingers against her chest plate and turns her head toward the perimeter lines. The crowd is growing, both in people and drones eager to share the slightest bits of excitement across the net. At least they're not trying to push past the perimeter. “Attracting more people? If Legions can learn how humans think, it makes sense to think that chimeras can learn that humans group up when there's an incident.”

“Could be,” Max says. “Especially nowadays, when everyone and their 'ma can be a paparazzi. What d'ya think, Akira?”

“Um...that makes sense,” Akira mumbles. “The chimeras in the simulations did show some semblance of strategy. It could also be trying to reduce the size of its hunting grounds.”

Alicia nods. “Yeah, that seems like a good theory. Chimera goes around opening gates to capture its victims, then it decides to break the bridge to make sure they have less space to run away, and it gets more people into its den as a bonus.”

“We can work with that,” Max says, and sets off toward the wreckage. “Come on, time for the Legions to put in some effort!”

The scattered bits of concrete crunch under their boots, under the sounds of snapping chains as the Legions materialize. Akane does her best to hide her wince behind a frown, the drum roll of her headache coming back with a vengeance.

“Chimeras are good at finding other chimeras,” Max explains, the Axe Legion huffing at his side. “It just takes a bit of focus. If our mystery chimera was around here, the Legions will find its trail.”

The Beast Legion climbs across the fallen concrete, their nose to the stone, Alicia crouching beside them. “And this girl here is the best at tracking down those ugly bastards.”

Akira tilts his head to the side. “Is smell something exclusive to the Beast Legion?” He asks. “I know the Arrow can't smell anything.”

“Huh?” Alicia looks up. “I think so. It's not really sniffing anything, though, it's just programmed like a dog. Uh, you'd have to ask the commander if you want more details.”

Akane takes a slight step back as her Sword tugs on the chain, turning to hiss at two officers over on the sidewalk who are staring...very intently at her, whispering between themselves. Hm. What's their deal?

“Do you need something, officers?”

The one on the left startles, eyes shifting quickly behind his visor, while the one on the right gives her a crooked smile. That is the face of an ass. “Oh, don't worry about us, ma'am, we wouldn't want to interfere in your investigation.”

Ma'am. Right. They have jurisdiction on this case. She returns the officer's smile. “You already are, so, why don't you share with the class?”

The left officer cringes. “Hey, come on, it's nothing.”

Bull- Max's hand pulls on her sleeve, and he shakes his head minutely, and lowers his voice. “Don't bother. Powell told you, you won't get anything out of these local cops, they're afraid it's gonna look bad on their reputation if we solve a case on their turf.”

She rolls her eyes. “I know, I just figured they could make themselves useful instead of talking behind our backs.”

“Oh, I never said they can't be useful,” Max counters with a smirk. “They can't see your Legion.”

She blinks and tilts her head. They...can't see her Legion. “Captain, are you saying I should eavesdrop on them?”

“I'm not sayin' you should, just that you _could._ ”

Jin snorts. “Just don't put it in your report.”

“And don't make it an habit,” Olive pipes up with a breathy chuckle.

Akane chews on her lip. On one hand, they could have something useful. On the other... “Is that really the kind of attitude we should have toward other officers?”

“Do we let _anyone_ get away with lying?” Max leans in. “They're citizens before they're police. No special treatment.”

“I...” That's a fair point. She looks between Max and her Legion, lifting her arm to direct it toward the officers, who've gone back to working their jaws. “Uh, alright, roger that, Captain. I don't have any arguments against that.”

“Atta girl.” Max smiles and ruffles her hair, and her Legion settles down near the two officers, the words filtering through their shared senses.

'- _she think she is, treating us like kids. Hell, who do they think they are, the lot of them._ '

' _Never even heard of those Neuron guys. Whoever they are, they need to step off quick._ '

' _No arguments here. Coming around our scene, questioning us like we're civilians...and then those witnesses spouting nonsense about someone getting dragged through the gate by a “giant, shadowy hand?” What a load of bull._ '

Asshole! She pulls her Legion back and pushes her index and thumb against her eyelids. “Shit.”

“Hey, Captain, I got it!” Alicia calls out. Swirling red particles rise from the ground at the Beast Legion's howl, the trail lighting the concrete in crimson down the street, to the perimeter lines, splitting off down into the underground garage of Rayleigh Plaza and along the sidewalk past the officer on lookout-

“Well, would you look at that,” Jin mutters.

“Are we dealing with two chimeras?” Akira says. Great minds think alike. “That'd explain why there was a huge number of gates.”

“That's a problem,” Max remarks. “Got anything useful out of those two, Akane?”

She shrugs. “I don't know if it's useful...they had witnesses report that the chimera took someone through the gate. With a giant shadowy hand.”

“A giant shadowy hand, huh...so just confirming what we already knew.” Max huffs and dismisses his Legion. “Alright, you and Jin go into the parking garage. Alicia and Akira, you two follow the trail down Grand Avenue.”

“What about you, Captain?” Akira asks.

“I'll run support. Give me a call if you find our culprit.”

“Roger, Captain!”

Jin and the Arm Legion trot over to her side, and down the ramp they go, each step revealing more and more of the red matter tracked across the ground. A few of the cars parked down here have been pushed aside, crystals of red matter floating in clumps between patches of light. Her headache eases to a slow hammering.

“Doing okay so far?” Jin's Legion lights him in a nice blue glow. “The corruption is pretty bad down here.”

She nods. “Yeah, some fresh air was all I needed, I think. I hope Akira will be alright.”

“Alicia is a good fighter,” Jin tries to reassure her. “She could take down a chimera or two with no Legion and a basic X-baton.”

“I can see why Dad likes her.”

Jin goes from a snort to a laugh. “Oh, glad I'm not the only one who sees it.”

“Come on, I know my own father. He sent her ahead back then to make sure she wouldn't get hurt, and now he's sending her on the tracks that look safer. He's trying to keep her safe, just like he does with me and Akira. So he already considers her family.”

“Yeah,” Jin sighs. “I don't think that's something Alicia's caught on to, though. I guess one day, one of them will have to step up and actually admit their feelings.”

Akane grins. “Dad? Admit his feelings? Perish the thought.”

They share a short chuckle, following the trail to the other entrance to the garage, crouching under the jammed door to the other side of the collapse site.

She stops short.

The air itself is painted, saturated with red matter. The perimeter divisions are glitching out in lines and pops of red the officers stumble away from with confused shouts.

Jin's hand lands on her lower back. “Don't move.”

The gate rips open across the street. He takes a step away from her, the Arm Legion unfurling the Astral Chain between them, and the chimera- holy shit, it's twice Laius' size- rolls out in a ball from the tear in reality right toward Jin. He and the Arm Legion both pull on the chain before the collision, and the links tense and stretch under the weight of the chimera, ejecting it from their giant makeshift slingshot with enough force to cause a boom of air around her. The IRIS fizzles and offers her an analysis report; POW-C-A91F5-00, Briareos, C-Scale _C4, fuck._

With a roar that shakes the ground, Briareos uncurls and smashes its fists into the road. Thick white armour covers its arms, thighs and head, the plates above its neck shaped to give it the appearance of a lizard with the body of a gorilla, its core splitting the skin of its abdomen, and its _hands_ , its hands are bigger than her, she could lie down in its palm and not even be within reach of its fingertips, it's either the chimera they're looking for, or its accomplice. Either way, it's better off _dead_.

“Akane, support!” Jin yells, the Arm Legion pulling back to slam their fist into Briareos' face. She nods, pushes the switch on her X-baton to blaster mode-

“What the hell is that thing?!” One of the officers screeches, drawing his own blaster, the other two doing the same, and _why can they see the chimera._

“Dammit, their corruption levels are getting too high! Get out of here, you three!” Jin shifts to his gladius to counter Briareos' fist, its armour morphing the extremity into a ball of spikes. The chimera easily pushes him back and aims it sights upon the officers.

She sends her Legion out and does her best to imitate Jin, wrapping the chain around Briareos' midsection to keep it away from the officers, but- it's too late, all three of them bend double, writhing in pain as red matter cracks open their skin, fabric and plastic ripping apart under the pressure of flesh transforming into claws and fangs. What might have been blood falls and crystallizes.

“Jin- I-”

Jin briefly turns to her. “Take them out! I'll deal with the chimera!”

But- they're- no. It doesn't matter anymore. The closest aberration rushes at her with flailing limbs, and her X-baton cleaves through its neck, the next falling to a jumping slice from her Sword. The third stumbles back, but not far enough to stop the blades that bisects it.

She pivots back toward Jin in time to see the Arm Legion get knocked back, Briareos ending its spin with an overhead strike that craters the concrete. She flicks her own Legion toward the chimera as the Arm pulls themselves back up. Without any need for prompting, her partner weaves and ducks between several punches, slowly circling their opponent, until the chain is wrapped so tightly around the chimera that it sears into its flesh. She twists her wrist and the Astral Spark bleeds out a new chain, one that turns into a binding vise, additional chains sprouting from the restrained core to restrict the arms and torso of the beast.

The Arm Legion roars and sink their fingers around the core of Briareos. With a crack, the bundle of red matter is yanked out and crushed between their fists; the chimera slumps to the floor, before it disappears into motes of red light.

Jin releases a sigh.

“Jin!” She runs to his side, suppresses the urge to crush him into a hug when he groans and holds a hand to his ribs.

“Oh, that's gonna hurt in the morning. Are you alright, Akane?”

“I- Yeah. I know how to take care of aberrations...”

“Hm.” He smiles sadly. “First time seeing redshift this close up?”

She hangs her head and grinds her teeth. “We dealt with a lot of aberrations during academy training, but not...I've never seen anyone shift.”

“I wish you never had to see. But you did your best, alright?”

Her best...right. _T_ _he Astral Plane is infinite._

Jin's radio beeps. “Hey!” Alicia's voice crackles. “Olive just called to tell us a gate opened on the second level! We notified the Captain, and we're on our way too.”

“A gate?” Jin frowns. “But we just took down that chimera...”

“Excuse me? Did you just say you took down a chimera? Without me?”

Jin huffs. “Yeah. Big hands. Hit like a truck. But if there's still a gate around...”

“Then it can't be our target.”

Akane bites down on her lip to hold back a scream of rage. Three people. And the higher levels haven't been evacuated. Oh, the next one is going to pay triple for this mess. “Let's go, Jin. I'm not letting that bastard get away from us.”

Jin looks worried, brows creasing his forehead. “We'll...go on ahead, Alicia. Don't keep us waiting too long.”

The sound of his boots follow after her- her Legion forces their target's tracks back up to the surface on the way to the nearest staircase.

“That...was a neat trick you did back there,” Jin says as they climb up, shaking his Legatus. “With the chain and all.”

She hums. This is too many stairs.

The screams are the first thing to reach her ears. The air darkens and reddens and three civilians come rushing down the hallway past them, and there's the gate, and the giant mechanical hand that grabs the fourth one- and drags him through the portal. She breaks into a run, Jin's blaster covering her with a rapid staccato of bullets toward the gate, but she just manages to snap her X-baton against the railing before the gate shuts close and reopens the next level above, taking off with another civilian.

She charges up the ramp, the sound of Jin's boots not far behind. Three aberrations rush at her, then five more, then another three and a group of six on the level above, each victim her X-baton fell more fuel to the fire burning in her chest.

“Adriana! L-let me go! We can still save them- ah!” A group of civilians scrambles away from another cluster of aberrations as she steps onto the third level. She rips each of the crystal-infused horrors into pieces, limbs tearing off, chunks of crystals flying, until the last of them thuds against the concrete.

“Akane!” Jin's hand closes around the back of her jacket and pulls her to a halt. She growls and whirls on him, and the packet of gel slaps against her chest. She blinks. Wha- oh. Her sleeve and arm is torn in three places, blood turning the fabric a muddy brown. “Slow _down._ You're no use to anyone dead.”

Right, right...she can't be this reckless, especially after reprimanding Akira for-

Red sparks in her peripheral vision. ' _Alley. Right,_ ' her Legion hisses, curling her fingers tighter around her X-baton.

“Come on, let's help these civilians, then we can- hey, wait!”

She quickly scans her surroundings. This alley...it's one of the emergency escape routes from Eastside, isn't it. Bastard. There's only holographic graffiti and the soft glow of red matter to light it up, but she barely needs her eyes, she's got the bloody thing in her radar. She jumps down the stairs two by two, sweeping away the crystals in her path.

“Akane!” Olive's voice comes through her radio as she reaches the bottom. “It's way too dangerous to go alone! Go back to Jin and wait for the Captain!”

' _No waiting,_ ' her Sword murmurs.

But...she stumbles and drags herself back a step. It'd make sense to wait for backup. She doesn't know what the chimera can do or how dangerous it is, and she can't-

' _NO._ ' What the- she doubles over and cradles her head, the burning behind her eyes enough to make her retch.

And the gate rends apart the ground, and five digits close around her ribcage-

“ _Akane!_ ”

Everything goes red.

* * *

## Division

Lines of red and black streak past between pillars and cubes of red matter, each sending vibrations through her numb bones. Blood pounds in her ears. The fist holding her shatters the shimmering mass under them, throwing her aside into a roll that doesn't stop until her shoulders and hips are battered and bruised and she gets her feet back onto the slippery ground.

She whips around.

Craggy hands lower themselves to the floor, two dull thumps followed by a mechanical cry. The chimera's body, just a trunk mounted with two giant cannons, hovers down from the sky, bright red lines running through its dark red armour, from the centre of its chest up to glowing eyes set within the inverted skull hidden under its crest. Her IRIS stutters.

ARM-C-B5FC7-00, Enceladus, C-Scale C9.

Oh, _shit_. She throws herself to the cold ground to avoid the monster's charge and spins up her Legatus. The device whines and sparks red-blue. No, no, _no no no_. She whacks the side of it, shifts away from a punch, and _oh thank god_ , the containment unit settles down to a pure blue and chains up her Legion, and her Sword gives a raspy laugh as they form, rolling their shoulders before dashing at Enceladus with their bare hands to tear into its armour. She follows at a stagger, ducks and darts under the bony structure floating beneath the chimera, turning to slash at its backside. Her X-baton etches lines of blue into the creature's flesh.

She throws her arms up in front of her in time for her bracers to absorb some of the impact of the backhand Enceladus swings her way. Her Legion rips off one side of the rib-like armour surrounding its waist, and the creature veers back around to try and catch her Sword as well.

She shakes out the tremors running through her limbs, circling around as her Legion and the chimera exchange hits, and tries to keep herself standing on their shaking platform.

There's no way she can take down this thing in a fair fight. Her right arm is starting to give out, and even if it still worked fine, she hasn't trained enough with the gladius form to fight against a chimera this size and with so much unknown about it. At least her headache is gone...maybe that's just the blood loss.

She swipes away some droplets from her cheek.

With a dull howl, the chimera launches itself into the air, red energy gathering into its cannons. Her Sword flies back to- bundle her up in their arms? She yelps and wraps her arms around their neck as they launch off the ground.

The cannons roar, the platform explodes under the twin rays of light, scattered into cubes that fall around them onto the lower level. She holds on to her Legion's crest, but- the cannons wind back up for another shot. That's _cheating_ , they don't have time to reach the platform below!

The energy starts to narrow into a beam.

“Get _away_ from her!”

And a blue light nails Enceladus right between its eyes. The chimera's weapons fizzle out, and she grins as it falls to the floor, her idiot brother releasing another two bolts from his Legion's bow to spear the giant hands in place. The tips of Enceladus' fingers fire off lasers toward him, only to collide against a shield of translucent blue plates, a large axe embedded into the ground in front of her brother.

“Not. _Today._ ”

The Axe Legion rumbles with their partner's words. They pull the blade out, the weapon glows bright blue between their hands, and it only takes a twitch of the wrist from Max for them to sink it into one of the chimera's cannons, leaving an afterimage that pulses with energy, detonates and shatters the device to pieces.

Enceladus breaks into a roll, trying to aim its remaining cannon at her dad. The Arm Legion pops above its head and smashes their fists into it before it has a chance to, followed by the Beast Legion bounding onto its chest and sticking the metal plates she has for teeth into it, ripping out chunks from its core. Enceladus bellows, and with a loud crack and a victorious howl, the Beast Legion wrenches the crystal cube out, crushing it between her jaws.

The chimera goes limp.

Her Legion slowly drifts down among the thousands of red particles, and places her gently onto stable ground. She frowns at them. They're gonna have to give her a _really_ good explanation for getting her into this mess, once they're out of it.

Max stomps over to her, grips her shoulder and turns her around.

“You're gonna be the death of me, you know that?” He growls. “What the hell is wrong with you, runnin' off alone like that? Gimme your arm.”

She bites her lip, extends her right arm as best she can. There's nothing she can say to make this better. Max rips open a pack of gel and spreads it over her cuts.

“Well, I can't say you look _good_...” Akira mutters as he, Alicia and Jin huddle up around her. “But, damn, you're tougher than I thought.”

Alicia snorts. “That's a pretty cool line from someone who just nearly cried their eyes out.”

“Wha- I did not!”

“Don't lie in front of your big sister, kiddo.”

“You-”

“Hey, hey.” Jin taps both of them on the shoulder. “Guys, look around. Who'd have thought this is where the chimeras came from?”

They all stop to take in their surroundings. Gigantic obelisks and blocks of black stone crossed through with red veins float in the abyss at all angles, towering far above them, expanding far, far further than the eye can see, the sky softly lit in red and green. Crystals of red matter twice the size of a human being spike out of the ground, among smaller clusters.

Akane runs her free hand through the strange black symbols that rise up around them, lines and dots of a writing system older than time.

“You ever feel like you're somewhere you're not supposed to be?” Max asks, tightening the bindings around her arm.

“All the time,” Akira mumbles.

Max's radio releases a harsh, piercing whine. “He- Hello?...Come in...Neu...hear me? Please respond!”

“Olive?” Jin asks, tuning the frequency on his. “Olive, is that you?”

There's a small gasp, and Olive's voice comes out much more clearly this time. “You're alive! Oh gosh, are you all okay?”

“Yeah, we're all alive,” Jin says, nodding to himself. “Exhausted and beaten up, but alive.”

“I'm so glad. When I heard you went through the gate, I thought I'd never see any of you again!”

“Yeah, _someone_ got a little too hot-headed,” Max grumbles. Akane scowls and curls deeper into her jacket.

Olive chuckles. “Well, the visuals are pretty noisy, but they'll do for now. The multiscanner works, too.” She hums, accompanied by the sound of nails clicking against plastic. “So this is it, huh? The chimeras' home turf...”

“The Astral Plane.” Akane brings her Legatus close to her chest. That's what her Legion had called it, at least. Max gives her a questioning look, but Olive interrupts whatever he might have had to say.

“Ah, I'm picking up some signs of life nearby! I can't get a read on any IDs, but I bet it's the people that chimera kidnapped!”

Max grunts. “Alright, let's go check it out.” Akane jumps when he pulls on her collar. “And you, you stay right behind-”

His mouth hangs open. She tilts her head- and chokes on a scream, boots slamming against the floor. The shadowy symbols turn bright red and surround her, almost sticking to her skin, dragging her down to one knee, fire rippling under her skin to the rhythm of her heartbeat, all the way up the back of her neck to bash her on the skull.

“Holy, shhhhhh,” Alicia chokes out. “Wha- did someone just drop a bag of rocks on my head?”

Jin bends over into a coughing fit, the colour draining from his face.

“Oh, no, no no,” Olive hisses. “Listen, don't panic, but that's an effect of redshift. That chimera must have done a number on you, because your corruption levels just spiked out of nowhere. None of you are in the danger zone yet, probably thanks to your Legions, but you should get out as fast as you can. Check on those signals, I'll keep an eye out for a gate you can use.”

“Well, if it got us in this mess, should be able to get us too,” Jin mutters, rubbing at his throat.

“You heard the lady, kiddos,” Max announces. “Let's not stick around longer'n we have to.”

Akira helps her back up to her feet, his face scrunched up. “Come on, sis, it's just a few meters.”

She hisses and nods, pressing her palm against her temple as she leans against him. The red marks pop off his skin and vanish into his hair, the tip of the strands turning crimson. Slow, careful steps lets them navigate the walkways toward the signals, IRIS highlighting their destination with a small diamond of bright orange, each step up the stairs making her muscles scream and driving a wedge between her eyes.

“Over there!” Akira calls out. “I see someone!”

She pops open one eye. Jin huffs and hurries ahead of them, kneeling beside the woman collapsed to the ground. Red particles are already swirling around her and the man laid out alongside her. “No major injuries. Olive, what about their corruption levels?”

“Hold on,” Olive says. Probably asking Brenda. “One's at 5.18, the other at 4.86! They're still below the redshift threshold! If you can get them out, the ARI can still save them!”

“Great. Do you have us an exit route?”

“I...” Oh, she can imagine the wince. “I'm sorry, I can't find anything, there's too much dimensional distortion. You're gonna have to backtrack to where you fought that chimera.”

Max sighs. “Damn.”

Akane glances behind him. The two cores rise out of thin air. Twisting and rotating. Red particles coalesce into a white horn, white armour covering black skin, a white shield, an arm that contorts into a blade-

Jin is the first to collapse, hands slamming against the ground, red energy coiling around him. “W-where the hell did they come from?”

Alicia follows, grasping at her head beneath her cap. “We're running out of time...”

Max goes down next, and Akane drags her brother down with her. The chimeras turn to face them. Both of them try their Legatus, and the mechanisms grind together, sending out arcs of red light. The pieces of the collar spasm, twitch and detach, the Legions' cores pulsating in mid-air.

“A fatal error has occurred.”

“A fatal error has occurred.”

“A fatal error has occurred.”

“A fatal error has occurred.”

“A fatal error has occurred.”

She tries to pull back as the Sword Legion's core goes flying, dragging the Astral Chain and her along with it. Roars echo each other as each of the Legions manifest, enveloped in red electricity. Max shouts behind her.

' _This will hurt._ ' She raises her head along the length of the chain to look into the _glowing red eyes_ of her Legion. Cracks break through their armour. They curl their claws, and bring their hands up to the collar-

The chain _shatters._ Finally! _Finally!_ Sweet release! They laugh and howl and join the others in a triumphant shout, the energy surging back up their limbs, pouring out from their core into a whirlwind to celebrate their homecoming. No more restraints, no more orders!

Now...the pitiful little thing kneeling before them whines. Such a disappointment. She's so small, so soft and weak, could have been so much greater if she'd heeded their voice...and yet she continues to fight, to struggle against the inevitable, to strike and kill even when the whole world is falling apart around her. She's not _useless_ like the rest of her species, they've seen inside her mind just as much as she's seen inside theirs. All she needs is a _push._

The soldiers approach her.

They summon their new blades, turn and split the soldiers' top halves from their bottom halves.

' _She's mine. If she dies. She dies. By my hand._ '

The blue light pierces through one side of their crest. They glance back. She's standing again, panting and holding her head, but she's _standing_ , her fingers curled around that little device of her that shoots blue matter- her...blaster, she called it? Hah, but it's just like they thought, she's still fighting!

“Oh, so now you decide to talk?” She can still hear them? Hm. She bares her teeth at them, fire burning bright in those golden eyes of hers. “You want to kill me, is that it?”

' _Your kind brought me here. I gave you strength. And you shackled my power._ _If you cannot defeat me. You might as well return to the natural order._ '

They dash and swipe at her with their claws, and she steps aside, firing at them again.

“This is an...unprecedented situation.” Ah, isn't that the voice of the old one. They raise their arm, energy gathering around their blade. “Perhaps the environment beyond the gates has caused some aberration in the Legion cores...”

Her baton smacks aside their strike. Her heel digs into their side, and the metal bludgeon hit the inside of their elbow. Their hand seizes, blade dissolving. Not good enough. Humans are too kind.

They catch her by the throat and lift her off the ground. ' _Why. Do you fight._ '

She gasps, lifting her leg to push against their other arm. “I won't...just roll over and die!”

' _Good. Then fight to kill me. Your enemies. Will not be as merciful. Nor. Will they be as finite. As I am._ '

Her jaw tightens under their fingers, and she loops the chain between the plates of armour around their arm, pushing the links against their skin. _It burns._ This time, the baton slices at their flank, igniting nerves and muscles. Better.

“We can't hold out much longer! Olive, commander, do something!”

“Commander, there's gotta be something we can do to save them!”

“Try setting your Legatus to MODE-C. You may be able to recapture them. Of course, you'll have to weaken the Legions first, which is easier said than done.”

Each of her steps take her just out of their range, even as they let energy surge through their weapons and heat up the air, and each of her hits are fierce, shearing off pieces of their flesh.

They curl their claws, pulling chunks of matter from the ground into three blades they send hurling through the air, using the influence of their invisible “bond” to direct the construct toward their little warrior. She tosses herself to the side, managing to smack one of the blades into the ground and back at them to break through the side of their neck armour.

' _I am not a toy to be used and discarded._ ' They jump forward and bury their foot in her flank, sending her sprawling to the floor. ' _Or a pet to play with! Now fight me! I will not bow. To a coward!_ '

She snarls and comes at them with her bare hands. Her fingers push into their wounds, even as their sharp edges cut into her skin, and her blood boils inside of them. She scrambles away from their grasp, spinning around to drive a kick into their cheek, slamming their head to the side with a sharp crack.

The other woman shouts, pushed to the ground by the one they call the Beast. Jaws close around her arm. The man gets the wind knocked out of him by a punch. The father barely blocks a strike, falling to one knee. And the brother, oh, the poor fool, the brother tries to reconnect, but his will is weak, and his efforts are in vain.

They get to see the collar coming this time. The three metal pieces split to encircle them, the Astral Spark raging, wreathed with blue fire, pulling their mind closer to hers, a low chant of _notweaksavethemfightmineminemine-_

They push back against the Astral Spark. ' _None of them will survive. In these conditions. They are important to you. Are they not. But_ _are you strong enough. To break free from this endless cycle. Give your humanity to me. And I will help you._ '

Her eyes bore into them. ' _Fine!_ _Whatever you want! Just give me a chance to save them!_ '

' _I knew. I saw something. In you._ '

They lower their arms. The collar shuts close around their neck. Her fury and theirs meld together, energy unbound and escalating not to a whirlwind but a storm that each Legion is caught within, dragged to them by the instinct to consume.

' _Now show me your conviction!_ '

She tugs on the chain, and her other half pulls, swinging her around to drive her X-baton into the neck of the Arrow, and back onto their arm, using it as a springboard to launch a dive kick toward the Axe. She slams her foot onto the links on her way down and her Sword jumps, the momentum sending their blade crashing into the helm of the former Legion.

' _Not a shackle. But an union. You. And me._ '

“What the hell's up with your hair?” Max wheezes. Blue strands whip around her face. “It's just like before...”

Olive gasps. “T-these numbers...the synchronization rate is off the charts!”

“A true Legionis!” Yoseph moans. “Yes! Wonderful!”

She ducks and wraps her arms around the Beast as she lunges over her head, lobbing the Legion up into the air. The chain stretches in both directions, her partner dragging her up with them, and she spins around, bringing the Beast back to the ground with her, right before her Sword sinks both of their blades into the Legion's back.

“Whatever's happening, now's the time to get going!” Max shouts. “Jin, Alicia, carry the civilians!”

“Roger!”

The Arm charges. She plucks her X-baton back out of the Arrow, twirling in between each rapid punch while she switches to her blaster. Her Sword shoves the Beast out of their way and hauls her over one of their blades, rushing up to the berserk Legion as she lets loose a supercharged spread of bullets into the Arm's chest. The Legion wobbles backward. They raise their hands above their head.

The hit fractures the ground into perfect cubes, separating her from the four creatures.

The walkway wobbles and begins to collapse under her. The rest of the group is already far ahead, Akira bringing the rear. The Arrow stares right at him, energy gathering within their bow.

Not on her watch. The other Legions howl at her retreat. She jumps to a more secure part of the structure, letting her own Legion pull her across the bigger gaps. Each pull is followed by soft touches to her back and neck, always making sure she can still stand on her feet. The anger cools to a low simmer.

She catches up to her brother in time for her Sword to pull them both off the walkway, and he yelps and curls up against her as the bolt of light flies right beside his head. They stumble past Max, who catches them by the back of their jackets.

Her partner pats her on the head. ' _They're here._ ' The gate pops and shivers, and she laughs. Laughs and laughs and laughs, enough that tears start streaming down her face.

“Hey, hey, we made it, sis,” Akira whispers.

No, no they haven't. The feet of the Axe Legion stomp against the floor. The Beast howls. She...can probably hold them back for a little while. Enough that everyone can escape, without one of the Legions tearing the gate open again. She turns to face her dad's Legion-

“I'll keep 'em busy.”

And blinks, and glances back at Max. “What? _No_ , I can-”

“Listen to me,” he interrupts. He...wraps her up in a hug. That's not fair. “The Legions are the very last hope humanity's got. And we lost all of 'em. All of 'em, except yours. We can't risk losing that too. Jin!”

Jin frowns and nods, walking over to Max to hand him his X-baton. “You're insane.”

The two men share a laugh, the nervous laugh of knowing someone is going to die. Max swats down the Arrow's crossbow bolt, and Jin grabs Akira by the arm, dragging him toward the gate. “W-what're you- let me go! Let me _go!_ ”

“You better come back, you hear me?” Alicia mumbles into the collar of her jacket. “I can't...”

Max grits his teeth. The Astral Spark flares between his fingers, Jin's X-baton switching to its gladius form. “Don't worry. I'll be back. I promise.”

And then they're the only ones left. Akane looks down at her Legatus, then back up as the Axe dashes forward, meeting Max's double gladii with their own weapon. He pushes them back a step, spins and knocks the Legion away, his attack about as useful as a slap on the wrist. He's just wielding two hunks of metal and plastic.

“Go. Your brother needs you more than he needs me.”

That's not fair. That's _bullshit!_ She jumps forward and smashes the Beast aside as she tries to maul her father. She can _fight._ She has a chance to make it out of this alive, even if she's left behind. All _he'll_ do is die. He'll struggle and die and that's her _dad_ , she...can't allow that.

So she turns and gives him the best smile she can muster. “...Not today.”

“What? Wait-”

And her Legion grabs him by the back of his jacket. “ _No!_ ” And hauls him right through the gate. The portal shatters into pieces under their blade.

They hover back to her side. “Well...guess I won't have to read that documentation any time soon.” She laughs and runs her fingers over the links of the chain, weighs the gladius in her other hand. “Alright...you ready, partner?”

' _Partner?_ '

“Hey, you had good reasons to be angry at me, I won't hold that against you. Oh, wait, you don't like it?”

' _...Ready. Partner._ '

The Arm roars. The Arrow pulls back their bow. And she grins.

“Then let's do this!”

* * *

“ _No!_ ”

“What the- Captain?”

His back hits the concrete. He shoves aside Jin, gets back to his feet, his daughter, his baby girl- Jin's hands close around his shoulders.

“Stop! Captain! Max! _Stop!_ ”

He fights against the grip. “First Lieutenant Wong! Get out of my way! I can't- she-”

The gate explodes with the sound of breaking glass. No. No...his knees hit the ground. It can't be.

“D-dad? Wha...where's Akane?”

This is a nightmare. This isn't- he's supposed to be their protector. Their guardian. His children. His babies...

“Gah!”

“Akira!”

He blinks and turns toward his son. His boy doubles over, hands buried in his hair, Jin trying to hold him up.

“Olive! We need medics, ASAP! I- guh!”

Jin collapses.

And everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :')


	4. File 04 [Helpless]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unable to help oneself; deprived of strength or power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of back on track! It'll take a little while for me to get back into the flow. Next chapter probably won't be next week, but the week after.

## Recovery

“You lost every Legion, lost the only officer who managed to recapture one, and you call this a minor setback?! You are mad!” The Seeker of Glory barks.

Yes, don't they always call the greatest minds 'mad.'

“And with the lab out of commission, the whole plan is in jeopardy,” the Seeker of Wealth sighs. “Our situation is grave indeed. How many more people, how much more money, do you expect us to throw at this project of yours?”

“Even now we teeter on the brink of the Astral Plane! We played the hand you dealt us, and now...nothing remains but to face extinction...”

“We placed our fate in a false saviour, and now all of mankind is doomed,” the Seeker of Power laments. “Your foolishness has damned us all!”

How melodramatic. How little _faith_ they have in him.

He adjusts his glasses. “Gentlemen, please. I assure you, all is not yet lost.”

“All is not-! Explain yourself!”

“We have another option. The second twin remains. We can ascend...we can...become as gods.”

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

He slowly peels open his eyes. Everything is so...white. White and bright, and quiet, except for the sluggish beep of his heartbeat through the ECG, and the swish of...pages? Wait...oh, this bed is so familiar, thin enough to feel all the metal bars under him. He's in the ARI again. Urgh, what a nightmare, they probably put him under anaesthesia, that's why he's so out of it. Did they have some surgery on the schedule today? Hm...he's gonna have to ask Akane when she gets back.

“Oh, you're awake. How you feeling?”

He turns his head. The woman's lips curl up the tiniest bit at the corners, dark brown zigzags of hair around her face, and she puts away a book, a real, actual book! Wow. She must have some really good connections to...to...why are his hands so big? And his hair is all spiky, and this...oh. He's not...he's not ten anymore. He hasn't been ten in a _long_ time.

“Alicia?” His voice is croaky, and the inside of his cheeks tastes of old olives.

Alicia smiles, for real this time, even if melancholy settles into the arch of her eyebrows. “Hey there, sleeping prince.”

The world tilts a bit from side to side as he pulls himself into a sitting position, manoeuvring around the ECG leads. Woah. This is some suite of a room compared to typical treatment wards, bigger and more private, with only four beds, the two furthest from him occupied by his dad and Jin, both of them covered in red and purple bruises, but sleeping soundly.

“What happened?” They went out to search for a chimera, right? Yeah, and then Akane got snatched, and they had to fight this big thing, and the Legions...oh, the Legions. That explains the bruises. The Arrow Legion's whispering is gone, and he pushes his palm against his brow to stop his head from floating away from him.

Alicia's chair scrapes against the tiles as she drags it closer. “We all passed out a few moments after coming out of the gate. Got shipped off to the ARI to make sure we wouldn't redshift. You've been in and out of it for...about two days.”

“That explains why I feel so weird.” Two _days_. There's no way he didn't escape redshifting by the skin of his teeth. He drags his fingers through his hair, sighing out his nervousness when the action doesn't cover him in black flakes, and then turns to Alicia. “Is Akane already up and running?”

There's a beat of silence. He raises an eyebrow as she opens and closes her mouth, tongue darting out to wet her lips. It's not that hard of a question, is it? “You don't remember?”

“What? Remember what?”

“She...didn't make it out of the gate.”

...Huh? He chokes out a laugh. “Uh, I think I misunderstood something, what do you mean she didn't...make it out?”

“I'm sorry, Akira.”

Didn't make it out. As in...she...died? That's not right. That was just part of his nightmare, wasn't it. Akane is...they're supposed to be together. Akira and Akane, forever inseparable, the little demon twins of Zone 09. No one can just...rip her away from him, right. That's his _sister,_ his best friend, his _everything_. His body starts shaking, throat too tight, heartbeat climbing up to a beep beep beep beep. “Did...she must have found another exit somewhere. Yeah!” He leans forward and smiles. “We should send out patrols, check around Zone 35 and 36. Oh, what about tracing her Legatus? Her frequency's...”

Alicia won't even look at him. “It's been two days. We tried, Akira. She's just...gone.”

“No! I know she's still alive! She can't...”

She can't be...gone. She's _gone_. He curls into himself, wrapping his arms over his head. He's gonna be sick. Someone ripped his heart out of his rib cage and pounded it to mush and stuck it back in as if he wouldn't notice. That was their first real assignment, and he fucked it all up. If he'd just been able to capture his Legion, or if he'd fought harder against Jin to let him stay behind, maybe he could have- no, he _would_ have saved her, he would have protected her from everything, that's what a brother is supposed to do- he chokes on a sob, tears burning lines down his cheeks. Alicia's hand rubs his back. “Oh, kid, I'm sorry...”

Sorry, sorry, sorry. He presses his lips together.

Five minutes pass by before he's able to pry open his jaw. Or maybe ten. Or maybe fifteen. It doesn't matter. “How's Dad?”

“He's...well, about as okay as can be,” Alicia mutters. “Physically perfect, as usual. Mentally...eesh.”

“He must really like you.”

Her cheeks go a deeper copper. “Uh- what?”

He tries for a laugh, resting his forehead on his knee. His bone digs into his skin. “You know there's nothing that matters more to Dad than me and...well, he wouldn't be able to relax if he didn't trust you a lot.”

“Aw, well, we wouldn't be friends if there wasn't any trust between us.” She scratches the back of her head, looking down and away from him.

“Uh-huh. Should I prepare myself to call you 'mom?'”

Alicia coughs and hacks, and...and a chuckle tumbles past his lips, somehow. “Jesus, kid, slow your roll. It's not like he's even picked up on any hints I've dropped.”

“Oh, so you _do_ like him.” He gets a glare for that.

The door slides open with a woosh of compressed air. Doctor...Moreno walks in, carrying a tablet in one hand, a clipboard in the other, and four folders under her arm. There's a little sticker of...Lappy on her clipboard, the cartoon Labrador jumping for joy. She stops, and they both blink at each other before a smile blooms across her face.

“You're awake! Oh, thank goodness.” Was she...worried about him? She walks over to the monitor at his bedside. “I'll just mark down your vitals and then we can get rid of all of this, alright?”

He nods hesitantly. “Um...okay...I didn't know you worked for the ARI, Doctor Moreno.”

“Work _with_ the ARI,” Alicia corrects him, bringing a foot up onto her chair to cross her arms over her knee.

Brenda nods. “I used to work here, in the red matter department, checking charts and pushing gurneys. Doctor Calvert gave me the opportunity to do so much more, but I'm still officially recognized as a member of his team here.” She pauses and turns to him. “Besides, they couldn't stop me from taking care of _my_ people, especially with the mess out there.”

“Mess?” Alicia says before he can ask the same thing. “Did something happen?”

A few more clicks on her tablet, and Brenda reaches out, gently moves his bangs out of the way and peels off the leads stuck to his forehead. “We...had an intruder last night while you were in the Astral Plane.”

The Astral- oh, that's...what Akane had called it...wait.

“An intruder?” Alicia gasps. “Shit, is everyone alright?”

“Yes, no one was harmed.” Brenda sighs. “The Legion laboratory above, however, was completely wrecked. Machines cut apart and pulled into pieces. It's...hard to think it wasn't planned to coincide with your deployment.”

Akira knits his brow. “But...we were...” _**Anderson.**_ Who else could have the means and the knowledge necessary to time their attack like that? Not just that...if this was planned...then Akane...he digs his nails into his palms. Her fault. It had to have been _her_ fault. “How did sh- how did they get in?”

“We're currently reviewing the security footage for that exact purpose,” Brenda replies.

“What's going to happen to us?”

“You'd have to ask the commander. But we're currently moving what we could salvage to another floor. It may take a while, months, but we'll have new Legions...eventually.” She pauses and shakes her head. “But you shouldn't worry about that for now. Just focus on your recovery. You were all exposed to unhealthy levels of red matter, and it's a small miracle Doctor Calvert was able to pull you back from redshift.”

He slowly unwinds his fingers, running his thumb over the small red crescents in his palm. “Right...right...” So even if she'd fought off the Legions, there's no way...

“Hey, Akira?” He raises his head. Wha...where did Doctor Moreno go? She was right there five seconds ago. Alicia's hand is on his arm. The leads on his chest are gone. “You were spacing out something fierce. You can go back to sleep, if you want. Being unconscious doesn't beat _real_ sleep.”

He blinks a few times. “Yeah...yeah, maybe I will.” He lies back down. His chest tightens, and loosens slightly at the warmth of Alicia's hand.

Maybe he'll dream of better days, this time.

* * *

##  **Missing**

The gate splits the air in the hallway. The woman walks out, what used to be a white coat tightly hugging her figure, golden hair barely held into a bun, and turns bright blue eyes to the camera. The purple cuts her lips out from the rest of her ghostly face. She narrows her eyes. The door slides open, and she walks in, and metal shrieks, glass breaks, plastic pops. She comes back out with a sealed metal box, purple veins fading from her cheeks, and disappears back through the gate.

He restarts the playback. The gate splits the air. The woman walks out. He restarts the playback.

The edge of the cold can knocks against his temple. He turns off his IRIS as Alan sniffs. “Obsession ain't a good look, 'bright eyes.'”

“ _You_ don't get to call me that. And don't speak to me about obsession; you'd throw yourself at Marie's feet if she asked you to lick her boots.”

“Hey, I...I've got standards!”

Akira raises an eyebrow. “And I'm a well-adjusted adult.”

“Urgh.” Alan drops himself onto the bench, leaning back against the glass of the training room. “Who the hell is, in this day and age?”

That's...true. They're all in the same sinking ship.

“Hey, can I ask ya a question?”

He glances at Alan, the can of 24/7 snapping open with a hiss. “Shoot.”

“Why ask me to train you? I mean, I know you can recognize physical perfection,” Alan jabs him in the ribs. “But we ain't exactly buddies. Thought you'd ask Billy or Roy.”

Because he didn't want anyone who was on good terms with his sister. The pitying looks, the way they handle him as if he's made of glass, no matter how much steel he puts into his tone, how much he tries to retreat into himself. Because he needs someone who will kick his ass and point out all his flaws instead of softening their blows. “Because you're an ass. And you're strong.”

Alan scowls. “Tch. I told you, I'm the _best_. But you're not a bad challenger yourself.”

“How about you give me a compliment with the front of your hand next time? Sheesh.”

“Right back at ya, rookie!”

Touché. “Anyway, wanna go for another round?”

Alan rolls his shoulders. “Nah. I'm going out on patrol with Rick in a minute.”

“Morgan? I thought he was still stuck in bed. Didn't a chimera almost slice his leg off?”

“Can't stop a man from doing what he loves, Howard!”

If it's gonna kill him...whatever. Akira shakes his head. “Fine. I'll just go back through my basics.”

Alan hums, and the rare expression of concern gives him pause. Come on, they were having a normal conversation, don't say anything stupid- “You know there's such a thing as too much training, Howard?”

Akira blinks. Fuck that. Heat spikes in his chest, spreading up to his ears. He hasn't been overdoing it. His muscles aren't even the slightest bit sore. “The chimeras don't give second chances, _King_.”

“Yeah, well...” Alan crosses his arms and huffs. “Whatever. Do what you want. Here.” Akira looks down at the unopened can of 24/7. “Vendor-3 gave me an extra. See ya later.”

“Yeah. Later.” His throat screams at him as he takes a sip of the energy drink, sweet and sour spreading over his teeth. The dark confines of the training room lets his anger sharpen into focus, and he pulls the footage up again, twirls his X-baton between his fingers. The gate splits the air. Basics. Right. He slowly slices across the air horizontally, twists his wrist to come back down vertically, stretching his arm out as far as he can in each direction. The woman walks out. He lunges forward into a stab. If he could open a gate of his own, he could go in and at least try to find her Legatus. Maybe, there's a slight chance she could still...he rolls his thumb over the switch, grunts when the gladius forms, swings on each diagonal. The Legatus still weighs down his bracer; the Legions could come back at any time, according to the commander. They're not even _Legions_ anymore, just beasts that need to be taken out or put back into their chains.

“Attention, officer Akira Howard and officer Maximilian Howard.” He slides out of a sweep. “Please report to the command room.” He sighs, deactivates his X-baton and trudges out of the training room.

His captain's already waiting when he gets up to the commander's desk. Olive gives him a sad smile. The commander laces his fingers together. His hair looks even greyer than usual.

“I'm glad to see you both on your feet,” he says. “These past few days have been rather hectic for all of us, I'm sure. I'm sorry I have not been available recently, and I would like to extend my sympathy for your loss; I wish I had been able to prevent this tragedy.”

“Keep it,” Dad growls. “Just get to business, commander.”

Please. The less time he has to spend here, the better.

The commander taps his finger against his knuckles, then sighs. “Very well. Without the Legions on our side, Neuron has been effectively reduced to a shell of its former glory, however pale it had been. Additionally, as you know, the ARI came under attack recently, specifically targeting the Legion production facility, which means our manufacturing is halted until further notice. We are keeping an eye out for your daughter, and her awakening provided us with rather valuable data to improve the Legatus' control system, but we can't expect sympathy from the chimeras. No, I imagine it will only get worse. As such, until Legion production resumes, Neuron will fall back on its old methods and pair up officers on deployment.”

“And the point is?”

Olive clears her throat. “We've received a call for assistance from the police in Maison Forest, Zone 30.” Akira grimaces. She's not going to send him out with his d- captain, is she. “We've gotten a lot of reports of missing persons cases around the area, the latest being just last night. All other officers have their own assignments.”

Dammit. He breathes out through his nose. “Are we expecting chimeras?”

“Maybe, hopefully not,” Olive replies. “ _Hopefully_ , it's only human involvement, but we can't rule out anything. Since only Neuron members have the tools necessary to detect chimeras, well...”

“Right,” Dad grumbles. “We go in, find whatever or whoever is causing these and fall back.”

“That's right. The helicopter is already waiting for you, whenever you're ready.”

Dad grunts and salutes. Akira raises his hand to do the same, and Dad grabs him by the bicep to drag him off toward the elevator.

He pulls away from his captain's hand with a snarl. “I don't need to be yanked around like a kid.”

Dad blinks at him, sighs and looks away.

“Oh no, don't touch that! Wait! M-m-my heeeeeaaaad!”

Wha- Akira staggers back as the giant cartoon dog head skitters across the floor, coming to a stop when it knocks against his ankles. The oversized police cap and dangling red tongue both bop up and down. Its owner comes running down the hallway-

The head meows.

Marie stares at him in her floppy Lappy costume, the little light on the side of her glasses blinking off and on. He returns the stare.

“Did you bring a _cat_ back to the station?”

“Uuuuuh...” Her eyes flit between him and his captain before she crouches down and slowly, carefully picks up the head to pop it on top of hers, then gives the best salute her massive gloves can allow. “A cat? Whuzzat? Hah! Ha ha ha! I'm no cat, partner! Did you already forget about your best pal Lap- hey, wha-”

Her shoulder bulges out. He gives Lappy a deadpan look. “I didn't think mascots could get tumours.”

“Thaaaaat...you-” A small calico head pokes out of the neck hole and meows at him. Lappy sighs. “Okay, I _might_ have found this lil' guy while I was out, partner, and I _might_ have brought him back! But look at him! I know I'm a dog, but I couldn't just leave him out there, yeah?! He's just too cute, yeah?!”

“And you had to bring him back _here?_ ” He frowns. That cat really is adorable, but... “Stray animals can carry red matter corruption, you should know that better than anyone. Hand him over.”

“Come on, partner!”

“Lappy.” If he's going to Maison Forest with his dad, he might as well make something good out of it. “Give me the cat. I'll make sure this little guy gets back to where he came from. Safe and sound.”

“But...but...” Lappy whines and slowly pulls the animal out of the suit. “Aw, what'm I gonna do with all that food...so much cat food...am I supposed to eat it meself?”

The cat doesn't even try to fight back as he picks him up and lays him over his shoulder. Instead, the purr machine stares at him with his big green eyes before bopping him on the chin with his snout and returning to his grooming. She would have loved this 'little guy.' She never had the chance to see the shelter Dad was building. He pats Marie, Lappy, on the shoulder, and silently follows after his captain to the elevator.

The fluffy motor curls up against his chest during the ride, claws pulling at the fabric of his jacket. “I wonder what we should name you...”

“Mocaccino.”

He looks up at his dad. “What?”

“He's white, orange and black. Mocaccino.”

“Oh. Hm. That makes sense. Okay, Mocaccino. You like that name?” Mocaccino meows and rolls over onto his back. “Momo for short, how about that?”

The elevator swooshes to a stop. Dad grunts and opens the door of the helicopter for him.

“We're gonna start by askin' around and assessing the situation,” Dad mutters into his beard as they settle down into their seats. Akira glances away.

“Roger, captain.”

“Hopefully the police is gonna be useful this time...Don't do anything stupid.”

He bites the inside of his cheek. “...Roger, captain.”

* * *

The buildings of Maison Forest swallow them, the early afternoon sun disappearing behind the top of prefab apartment complexes. Trash cans and bags pile up in the cramped alleyways, some of them even set on fire to provide a little more warmth to the people huddled around them on this surprisingly cold day of July, another testament to the UNION's usefulness. Enough money into the hands of the rich and they can swipe anything under the rug, even their own people, apparently. He's not a person here, just an uniform.

“Hello there!” An officer walks over to them, flipping up her visor and snapping into a salute. UEY003203, Kaede Kousaka, born April 25, 2042. “You're the officers sent in as backup, aren't you? Nice to meet you!”

Dad nods at her. “You the officer on patrol?”

“Yeah, this place is my beat. I live here with my sister and niece, so I've been doing double time ever since the disappearances started.”

Oh. Something flickers in his captain's eyes. “Family's important, I get that. It's rare to see a friendly face to Neuron.”

“Yeah, I hear a lot of shi- uh, trash-talk about Neuron back at the precinct, but I don't think anyone here cares about jurisdiction or whatever,” Kousaka says. “We're stretched so thin, we're glad to have any help we can get.”

“Hm. Alright, mind filling us in?”

“Well, I don't know much about it myself.” She leans her weight to one side. “I've just been doing my rounds as usual, and I haven't found anything out of the ordinary. If you want something more concrete, you'd have to ask our records officer, or head up to the crime scene. Or both, really, I think I saw Cartwright over there anyway.”

Akira tilts his head. “Cartwright is your records officer, I'm guessing?”

“Yeah, she was supposed to get the footage from the security drone.” She points down the alleyway to their left. “If you go that way, there's a ladder that leads to the upper level. The scene is all the way to the right from there.”

“Any witnesses?” Max asks.

“Only two that seemed useful. Cruz and Chapman are questioning them right now.”

“Alright, we'll go take a look around the area. Akira?”

“Coming-” He and Kousaka both yelp as Mocaccino meows and wiggles and jumps out of his jacket. The calico cat runs off down the alleyway to their right, toward...well, he's going toward the shelter, at least. A few of the civilians throwing him dirty looks soften up and turn away.

“Woo, that scared me good!” Kousaka hollers.

Akira rubs at his forehead.

“Don't worry too much about the cat,” Dad says. “They've got better noses than you think. I put out some new food yesterday, he'll find his way there. Come on.”

“Okay.” The gravel crunches under their boots as they head down the alley. A mechanical buzz fills the air. The A/C units output enough heat to choke the back street with cold humidity, and Akira loosens his tie and peels the front of his shirt off from his skin.

His radio beeps. “Hey, Akira?”

He falls back a little, gesturing toward the end of the alley when his captain looks back at him. “What is it, Olive? Is everything alright?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” Olive sighs. “I know we haven't known each other for long, but you can talk to me if you need to, you know? Sometimes talking to someone you don't know that well can be helpful. At least, that's what Brenda told me...” What is there to talk about.

“I'm fine, Olive.”

“Hmmm. Okay. Well, the offer is there, anyway.”

“Thanks, Olive.”

He clicks off his radio and jogs to catch up with his captain.

The tag of UEY003223, Penelope Cartwright, comes into view at the same time as the officer herself, crouched near the corner, her head buried between her knees. “Ah shit, what am I gonna do...” She whimpers.

“What happened?”

“Huh?” Cartwright raises her head to look at him, her helmet askew. “Oh, hi there. Hoo boy...you're the Neutron detectives, right?”

He frowns. “Neuron. Kousaka told us about you. You're the records officer, right?”

“Uh.” She clears her throat and fixes up her helmet. “Yeah, that's me. Did she tell you about the security drone?”

“Just that you were supposed to get its footage.” The footage of the security drone that's nowhere around.

She gives a nervous laugh. “Yeah...well, okay, you see, I left the patrol drone around here to do its rounds last night, okay? That's how I've been doing it for months! But then when I came back this morning, it was just...gone! So I came down here looking for it, and...well, I found it.” The metal box she reaches for beside her is completely mangled, sides bulging out, the black plastic cover on the front broken in three pieces to reveal the sensors beneath, and what's left of an antenna has been crushed by a human-sized hand. “This piece was all I could save from it, and it was stuck in the piping here. I have no idea how it got up there, and I have even less of an idea what could have caused this much damage to it!”

Akira drops down at her side, gently gathering the remains of the drone's head from Cartwright's hands into his palm. Poor thing. “The elevation control unit?”

“Ripped apart so badly I barely recognized it. Oh, this is definitely coming out of my paycheck...”

“These drones are made solid, right?” Dad asks. Akira slowly rotates the metal box and nods.

“They're supposed to hold up to 600 kilopascals, and the materials are bulletproof. If anything wrecked it that badly, it's using energy rounds, at least. And not the human-safe stuff _we_ use.”

“Can ya get anything out of it?”

“Maybe...give me a minute.” The back of the head cracks open with a bit of prying with his nails, and the small solid state drive looks...fairly intact. Yeah, he can get video data out of this. “Here.”

He stands back up, sending the footage through the IRIS connection. The green silhouette of the drone slowly putters around the corner at 0244, following its designated path toward them. Akira jumps slightly as one shot, of _something_ , cracks the wall behind them, and another rings out just as the drone reaches the nearest corner above their heads at 0245, tunnelling right through its elevation control unit and showering them with holograms of bits of plastic and metal that spurt out of the resulting hole. The playback distorts, and the rest of the unit is torn apart until the head pops off its support.

“Something _big_ hit the drone right around here. It didn't even react to any sort of danger, which means the initial attack must have come from a long ways away, then the attacker came in while the drone was disoriented and destroyed it. And judging by the position and angles of the projectiles...it looks like the attacker must have been...”

“In mid-air?” Dad mutters, following the same lines of attack he's delineated.

“Yeah. An air-to-air attack...”

“Uh. I don't understand what you guys are talking about, but did that help any?” Akira glances to Cartwright.

“Yeah, thanks a lot. That was valuable information.” An air-to-air attack in such a cramped space, huh. “I think we should really get a look at the crime scene.”

Cartwright dusts herself off. “Well, glad I could do something useful, hah. I think I'll take this back to the precinct...hey, if you solve this case, can you maybe mention me? Maybe I can avoid losing half my paycheck.”

“Sure, sure.”

Cartwright runs off, and they climb up the ladder and hang right, moving past the small crowd formed by the perimeter line of the circle divider. UGC001925, Ryuugo Chapman and UEY007140, Charles Cruz stand to the side, and Dad waves them over. Both salute.

“Kousaka radioed in about you two,” Cruz says, voice soft.

“You done with your questioning?” Dad asks.

“Yeah, we got about as much as we could get without bringing them in,” Chapman replies. “Everyone's so on edge with all these disappearances one after another, I figured we didn't need to add to it.”

“Smart. So what'd you got?”

“Well...a lot of people around here believe it's some kind of ghost,” Cruz sighs, pulling out a tablet. “The boy I interrogated was of that opinion as well...said it was 'the red ghost.' According to his sister's friend, there's a...'red, fiery shape with no legs' that goes around and kidnaps people.”

“Man, seriously?” Chapman chuckles. “I heard from Neil that his little Picasso was blabbering about a red ghost too. Came out of a red door and everything, got a hole in its chest. Spooky, huh?”

A hole in its- Akira clamps a hand over his mouth and glances at his dad. It can't be. Can't be one of the Legions, right? And if it's long-range...

“Urgh, there's enough people reporting it, I'm starting to think there's gotta be something to it,” Cruz mutters, shaking in his boots.

“Come on, you aren't scared of ghosts, are you?”

“Hey, we don't know everything the universe has in store for us, do we?”

“The woman I questioned thought it was a drone, though,” Chapman continues. “Makes a lot more sense, if you ask me. She reported seeing this yellow drone wailing and floating about through the streets last night.” He shrugs. “Maybe it got hacked or something?”

Dad crosses his arms. “Could be. Anything else?”

The two officers exchange a glance and shake their heads. “No, that's about it.”

“Great. Let's check the scene and see if we can find a trace of our culprit.”

The holographic gate splits open. Akira stumbles in after him past the perimeter line and reaches for his wrist. “D- Captain-”

“I know,” his captain interrupts, petering out into a sigh. “But there's nothin' we can do except our job, kiddo.”

“But if it's the Arrow-”

His dad rounds on him. “I told you, _don't do anything stupid_. I-”

“It's not stupid!” He grits his teeth and steps into his dad's space. “I know I can recapture it this time! It's my fault it got free, I'm the one who needs to take responsibility for that! If A- if she did it, I can do it too!”

“ _I can't lose you too, Akira!_ ” Dad shouts.

Oh. Akira staggers back. “You don't think I can do it?”

His dad closes his eyes, hangs his head and sighs. “Quit tryin' to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders, kid.”

What's the alternative? He's her brother, the only one with a chance at replacing her. Silence clings to them, the other officers slowly returning to their own tasks.

“...This must be our victim's bag.” Akira looks back up, choking down the ball in his throat to join his captain. The green messenger bag lies in the middle of other shopping bags strewn across the scene, beside the looping hologram of the hooded girl scrambling away from her unknown assailant. She falls, stands back up and sets off into a run back toward the other alley leading north before her ID is lost. “UBF007068, Isabella Tsukitani. Works at a nearby restaurant. She was on her way home when she was attacked around 0922.”

And the ground is rising and falling where their culprit would have been, telltale cubes cutting through the concrete.

Dad stands and jerks his thumb toward the girl's destination. “If she was able to escape over there, there's not a lot of places where they could have gone. There's just a playground and the old maintenance walkways.”

“I'd...say we go check out the maintenance walkways.” Akira kicks away a pebble. “If it's a chimera, there must be a gate somewhere.”

“Right. Somewhere out of the way.” They shuffle out of the crime scene as quickly as they came in, backtracking to the little tunnel cutting through the housing.

The alley opens up to a clearing between the buildings, above the jagged skyline of Zone 31, only a small railway between him and a steep fall to certain death far below. Who decided to build a playground here?

The lock on the stairway to the maintenance walkways snaps open under Dad's ID, and the chain link door screeches open with a rain of rust. The stairs themselves are even worse; the railing's been melted and bent every which way where the two stairways would have connected, crystals of red matter floating above or coating the poles, and the plates of metal of the bridge are discarded onto the pipes below-

And the gate crackles in the space beneath the metal beams.

“Olive, we got a gate in block 23 of Maison Forest,” Dad calls in. “Start evacuation.”

No response. “Olive?”

“Oh, sorry, Captain,” the line crackles, Olive's voice popping through. “I shut off audio to...give you some privacy. I'll send in the call. Can you close the gate?”

Akira frowns. “Wait, what about the victim?”

Dad sighs and pulls out his X-baton, quickly switching over to blaster mode. “Sorry, kid. Nothing we can do for her but notify the relatives.” Oh. He shifts his foot back, aiming at the gate, and one, two, three, four, five shots hit the edges of the rift, Astral Spark stitching the wound closed. “Akira thinks it's the Arrow Legion.”

“I heard,” Olive replies. “We don't know how many types of chimeras there are, but there's a definite possibility it _is_ the Arrow Legion, based on its description. If it is...”

“If it is, we're gonna need more personnel,” Dad says.

“Right. I'll place officer Lopez and officer Wong on call, so they can provide backup if necessary. For now, staking out the area might be our best course of action. Closing the gate won't stop a Legion.”

“We'll stay around. You feel okay for a stakeout, Akira?”

Akira taps his foot. Awkward or not, there's no way he's letting this opportunity slip by. “It's our job. Where are we going to hole up, though?”

“Follow me,” Dad says.

“This is a message from the Ark Police,” the speakers start to blare out as they escort the children away from the playground. “A gate has been detected in block 23 of Maison Forest. Everyone in the area, please report to your designated shelters until the situation has been handled. I repeat, please report to your designated shelters until the situation has been handled.”

Kousaka, Chapman, Cruz and a handful of other officers pass them by on their way out of the alley, gathering up all the people they can find and trying to keep order. There's no aberrations yet, thank gods. Hopefully they have enough testing units...

They come back to their landing ground, and around the fence to...

“The safehouse, really?”

Dad glances back at him. “You got a better place?”

“Uh.” Between crashing in an abandoned building or settling down in a pile of cats... “Hm. Guess not.”

The fluffy bunch comes running to them as soon as the door creaks open, except for Momo, who is busy burying his face further into the wet food. Akira crouches to pet Robin and Sakura while Dad drops onto one of the leather couches; Chichi runs and jumps up into his lap, white fur already sticking to his black pants.

Akira settles down to the floor, can't keep down a smile when his two favourites drop and roll onto their backs, paws kneading the air. “There's a lot more boxes around here since the last time I came by.”

“The cats like 'em,” Dad mutters.

“Ah.”

He shifts to stretch out his legs. Purring fills the air. He's not going to apologize for his attitude. He's not a kid anymore, Dad needs to learn he can handle himself. Even if he can't capture the Arrow Legion, destroying it would be better than letting it run around. It shouldn't be harder than racing through all the simulation programs consecutively.

“Akira.” He looks up and Dad jerks his head to the seat beside him. “Come here.”

Seriously? He pulls himself to his feet again and walks over, and his dad pulls out a small data card and pushes the button on the side as he sits down, settles back into the squeaky seat. The hologram screen pops up-

“Hey, rookies!” That's... “Who told you you could take those helmets off?”

He and Akane turn to the camera, helmets under their arms, he in dress pants, she in black shorts, both wearing the standard academy uniform of a white shirt, black tie and blue jacket. She smiles and the drone moves back slightly, Dad coming into the frame.

“Those things aren't just for show, you know. You're police now. You're not civilians anymore, you gotta follow police regulations.”

Akira rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you said that a hundred times, we know.”

“Since when were you such a stickler for the rules, Dad?” Akane points out, putting her fists to her hips.

“Urgh...you're not exactly fillin' me with confidence,” Dad mutters. The twins laugh. “Never expected you guys to grow up to be police.”

“Come on, Dad!” Akane exclaims. “We want to save the world, like you! You won't have to fight alone anymore!”

“Yeah!” Akira adds. “I'll make sure you never end up in the hospital again!”

Dad huffs and shakes his head. “D'you even hear what you're sayin', kiddo? Just focus on not getting yourselves killed, alright?”

“Roger!”

“Saying 'Roger' is one thing. D'you really get what I mean?” Dad sighs. “Don't make me bail you out too much, got it? And hey, do me a favour!” His arms wrap around both of their shoulders, pulling Akira and Akane against him.

“Hey, hey, wha-what're you doing?” Akira splutters.

“This is a big day for you!” Dad shouts, shaking them both. “C'mon, say cheese! Cheeeeese!”

Dad grins, Akira and Akane looking up at him. The footage freezes on the frame.

How long ago was that? Akira sighs. “Our graduation day, huh...it feels like forever ago.”

“Still one of the happiest moments of my life,” Dad mumbles. “You know, when I pulled you out of Zone 09, I never thought we'd end up here...like this. I always figured you'd go into engineering or something like that.”

Akira looks down and knocks his boots against the plastic backing of the couch. “I...thought about it. But...she wanted to go into police work. I knew I wanted to help people, but _fighting_ for the people was always her thing, and I guess her passion just dragged me along.”

“She was a fighter, f'sure.”

“Yeah...” She'd train to exhaustion no matter if it was day or night, and then she'd pop in the shower and come back out trying to convince him she had twice as much energy to spare. Idiot.

Chichi spreads herself across his lap as well. He pets her head. “I miss her.”

“Yeah...I know, kid.”

* * *

## Arrow

He jerks awake.

The cats are yowling. All gathered in the furthest corner from the door, their fur bristled, pupils blown out, ears flattened. Dad is blinking owlishly at them from the bathroom doorway, towel still hanging from his hands.

Akira rolls off the couch to his feet and pulls out his X-baton, switches over to blaster mode as he flattens himself against the wall. His captain walks over to the exit and nods at him and inches the door open-

The two chimeras- humanoid type, Laius knockoffs- roar and screech, slicing apart trash cans and walls alike in a blind rage, each accompanied by a single aberration; dammit, some stragglers must have been left behind. Orders are barked and shots fired further down the alley, lighting the night sky in contrasting blues and reds, between the sharp orange and yellow of flames spreading through the discarded trash. Searchlights from the helicopters makes the whole thing even messier of a sight, but it sure is a sight to behold.

Dad reaches for his radio. “Olive, you there?”

It takes a minute for her to respond, a yawn the first thing to come through. “Yes, I'm here, Captain. I'm already coordinating our other officers. Good thing we got everyone out of here early, huh?”

“Yeah. What's the situation like?”

“Multiple gates all across Maison Forest, dangerously high levels of red matter, especially around your location. Officer Lopez and Officer Wong are helping out the regular police in block 22, but they're heading your way right now.”

“Great.” He frowns, lips curling into a scowl. “These chimeras're more violent than usual.”

Akira frowns as well. It doesn't seem like they're trying to hunt down humans. No, the way they're spread out...they've got to be searching for _something_. Or...someone. Like him. “What do we do, Captain?”

The blue light of the morphing gladius lights up his dad's face. “Can't let these bastards run around freely. I take one, you take the other. Deal with the aberration first, focus on _staying alive._ ”

He nods, hefts his blaster up and follows after the captain.

The gladius tears right through the first aberration. He runs toward the second, heat seeping through his gloves, and pops one shot through its eye, the bone mask cracking open into shards of red matter. He takes a step back and pushes the aberration toward the chimera as it flails its sword in his direction, fury redirected toward him, and the burning red energy cleaves the dying infected clean in two, each half breaking down into particles. The chimera lunges at him through the cloud. He drops down, shooting twice in its abdomen, sidesteps out of the way of another slash, and clobbers it under the jaw with his X-baton. A low hiss comes out of its clenched teeth. He jumps back from a sharp knee to the stomach, almost tripping over his own feet to get some distance.

He turns the X-baton back to blaster mode and aims for the junction of its hip and torso, peppering the area with bullets. The monster barely even reacts.

“Akira, duck!”

He does as told just in time for the other chimera to come flying over his head and crash into his opponent, sending the two abominations sprawling to the ground in a heap. Dad charges in, gladius raised, and brings down his sword to the chimera's core, one, two, three, four times, each hit chipping off bits of the stone and extracting a shriek from his victim. Perfect. Akira digs the grenade out of his pouch, and stuffs it right in between the creature's teeth before getting the hell out of dodge.

The flash of blue light blazes through both chimeras. Cracks overtake the red matter. The sphere of energy bursts out of them, pieces of flesh disintegrating before they touch the ground.

The lower body that remains slowly falls to piece, and a laugh spills out of his lips.

“Thanks, Billy!”

“Not bad,” Dad grunts, straightening out his stance.

Not bad? That was amazing! He's still able to take on chimeras without a Legion! He shakes his head and leans against the wall to catch his breath. Well, Dad doesn't know how to give compliments anyway.

“Captain, Officer Wong and Officer Lopez just arrived on the scene!” Olive calls out. “By the way, great work on those chimeras, Akira!”

He grins. “Pretty good, huh?”

“Don't let it get to your head,” Dad warns. Yeah, yeah.

With a grunt, he pushes away from the wall-

The black claws wrap around his face.

“ _Akira!_ ”

The sound of the gate overwhelms his hearing.

And the claws pull him through.

* * *

He lands into a roll, already scrambling away to a safer distance, pinprick wounds dribbling blood down his cheek to join the palette of reds and purples and greens of...of _the Astral Plane_.

The thing that used to be the Arrow Legion lazily floats around to face him. Red light spills through the cracks in its armour, the rings on its shoulders almost crumbling away, and glowing red eyes land on him, and its skirt flutters open and closed as it- laughs?

' _Foundyoufoundyou, found yooooouuu._ '

What the- he dives away from the bolt fired at him from one of its crossbows, the two devices hovering above its arms.

' _Better? Yesbetter, fightsmarter._ '

He stomps into a stance and directs his blaster toward the monster. “How the hell are you _in my head?!_ ”

' _Hear me?_ ' It cackles. ' _Goodgoodgood. Sisterinteresting, brotherinteresting too?_ '

Sis- his teeth grind together. “You- what did you do to her.”

' _Sisterwarrior? Notknow. Fell._ ' Fell?! ' _I- search- for- you._ '

“Well, you found me.” He narrows his eyes and clenches his fingers around the handle of his weapon. “And I'm about to get some payback!”

The former Legion coos and flexes its fingers, energy rises out of the fractures, and light gathers around it in the form of arrows as tall as he is. ' _Testfight? Testfight brotherwarrior. Brother stronger. Strong interesting._ '

He fires three rounds. “Just shut up already!”

The monster dodges away from one shot and takes the other two to the chest. It looks surprised when he rushes toward it, spinning his X-baton to a reverse grip on the transform and driving it toward its exposed rib cage. He's not here for a goddamn chat! It dips low to avoid the strike, then jumps up, aiming down and raining a dozen shots onto his position; he just barely shuffles out of its range, one arrow slicing through his pants and thigh before he can use the gladius form to clear a path through the bolts. He winds back, and the sword sings and cuts through one end of the Legion's skirt, then sinks into its shoulder as the monster tries to fly back down.

It whimpers. ' _Brother angry. I angermake?_ '

Is it really this _stupid_? It swipes at him with its claws to force him back and spins rapidly on itself, shedding particles. Light distorts and- it's gone. He hisses. “Come back here,” and coughs, “you-”

The arrow of red light almost skewers him head first and pierces into the ground at his feet, leaving an intense ringing between his ears. And then the walls rise up around him, red matter coalescing into thick plates and slowly boxing him in, ready to crush him into paste. Dammit, dammit!

“Grab on!”

He raises his head to the sky. Wha- a...yellow drone covered in stickers lowers itself above him, rope handle dangling out of its compartment. No need to tell him twice.

The drone's bright blue elevation unit whirs and pulls him off the platform.

“Activate your IRIS!” Drones aren't supposed to talk. “I can help, but my scan takes too long!”

That's...well, maybe he's as stupid as a chimera. The grid expands across his sight, cutting the Arrow's silhouette out of the air with a dull red sheen. It looks up at him and summons its bow, pulling back another shot. ' _Brotherinteresting._ '

Urgh. He knocks against the side of the drone. “Get closer to the ground!”

“O-on it!” The light of the projectile climbs to an unbearable brilliance. So it's do or die, huh? It burns even through his eyelids. If he gets hit by that in any way, that's it, he's dead, even just a limb would be torn out and he'd bleed to death before anyone found him. Not gonna happen. He just has to time it right, and then...he has his Legatus.

Three. The shot splits the air with a loud whine. Two.

One! He lets go of the handle, twisting to the side and curling forward to land into a roll. The red arrow sails just above the top of his head, shredding off a few strands of hair, and the drone warbles out a cry as bits of yellow paint melt off. He's already reaching for his Legatus before he's even back on his feet; the collar splits open, mechanisms haloed in blue light, the Astral Spark swarming in response to the energy input, and he swings his arm.

The Arrow howls, both inside and outside his head, the chain forming out of the light. ' _Waitwait! A- ki- ra!_ '

“No! Shut up!” He wraps his fingers around and pulls on the links hard enough to yank the Legion into his reach, and smashes his X-baton into its crest. “I failed once and my sister _died_ because of you monsters! Now _you're_ gonna listen to _me_ and shut! _Up!_ ”

' _A-_ '

His hands wind around the pieces of the collar. With a short ring of metal striking together, he shuts it close around the Legion's neck, strangling out whatever useless drivel it might have had to say. A low whine escapes its metal mask.

He stumbles away from the creature. Its armour fades back to white and green, its skin regains its blue colour, and the cracks close back up. Electricity runs up his spine, eyes and limbs displaced until he's looking at...himself, his hair and veins shining blue, eyes growing pale. Just like her.

He cackles. Just like her! He's just...like her. The chain rattles in his palm, the Arrow Legion coming to stand at his side at his command. He raises its arm, the bow forming between its fingers.

“Woah...that was amazing!” He blinks back into himself. The yellow drone hovers over to him, its round head bobbing up and down above its elevation unit. “You really recaptured a Legion! I-I mean, not that I doubted you or anything, it's just...wow!”

He sighs through his teeth. Pulls out a pack of gel as he drops to the ground, letting the Arrow- _his_ Legion dissolve and return to the Legatus. “Yeah...thanks for the save.” The drone's cyan visual sensors turn to him. He peels open the pouch, hissing at the cold touch of the balm on his thigh. “Who are you?”

“Oh, um, y-you can call me Hal!” The drone says. That's a dated reference.

“Huh. Okay, Hal. What are you-" The drop of adrenaline punches him in the head. "...doing here?” Urgh, his eyes are getting heavy already?

“Uh, I was, uh, just passing by!" Hal replies. "And then I, uh, detected your signal and decided to help! T- hey, are, are you okay?”

He waves his hand. “Yeah...'m fine, just...tired...”

“Hey, hey! O-okay, I'll get you out of here, okay?”

“Suuuuure...” His head is...on the floor? “I'm just...gonna lie down here-”

* * *

## Absence

“ _Then let's do this!”_

_The warrior roars and runs forward, her weapon ready to strike, the rebel opening the way for her with their strange blades. The guardian recovers from the monolith's earlier hit, taking up their axe to face the warrior, and the vanguard knocks her fists together, and the fiend howls and snaps._

_And she hesitates, keeping her claws folded to the shaft of the arrow. The warrior managed to convince the rebel. Not just to her side, but into their very mind, two beings existing as one, no need to kill or maim beside their own will._

_Could her heir do the same?_

_The vanguard grabs the warrior's weapon, and the fiend brings the rebel to the ground as they shriek for their master. She has exhausted so much of her energy, the warrior barely reacts when the guardian lifts their own weapon and thrusts forward, ripping through cloth and flesh and making the warrior stumble back, hands grasping at her side._

_Ah, what a waste. She lets go of the arrow, the projectile embedding itself in the warrior's shoulder._

_The warrior's mouth opens in a silent scream as she slips off the platform._

_The rebel cries out and thrusts the fiend aside and dives off themselves, disappearing into the light._

* * *

He closes the door behind him with a sigh and slumps against it.

The Legatus hums against his chest, memory imprints settling in. No human could survive a wound to the abdomen like that, or a hole in their shoulder.

He drags his feet out of his boots, careful not to reopen the sutures on his thigh, and throws them toward the mat, then carefully detaches the Legatus from his bracer before stripping down to his pants and shirt, discarding it all onto their- his chair of stuff. He pads over to her room. His fingers hover over the handle.

He's not supposed to go in there. That's the rule, isn't it? Each of them their privacy, for the comfort of a customized apartment. But who's going to stop him now?

The walls are blank, bed still made, bedside lamp sole occupant on the night stand, the desk faintly lit by the hologram monitor, the mirror the only concession to self-esteem. He gathers up the papers spread over the desk; reports, homework, study guides to swordsmanship, self-defence, proper handling and maintenance of drones and electronic devices. He'll hand those over to Dad tomorrow. Discs of VR training programs for criminal psychology, bomb disposal, battlefield first aid, wilderness first aid, psychological first aid, and flight training litter the other side of the desk.

He huffs. “Not a nerd, huh.”

_Hey, I'm not a nerd, this is all military stuff!_

“Military nerd.” He picks up the headset and turns it in his palm. “You won't mind if I borrow all this, right?”

_What, you want to learn all this stuff? Eh, be my guest, I'm not gonna be using it anytime soon._

Hah. Yeah. Could be useful.

The whiteboard on the back of her door has her schedule, neatly divided between day shift and night shift. Wake up at 0700, calisthenics regimen from 0800 until 0900, shower, breakfast at 0945, jogging from 1000 to 1100 (pick up groceries if Aki hasn't!), lunch at 1115, file out necessary reports and arrive at the station at 1200 until 1700, dinner, lights out at 2130. Wake up at 1000, calisthenics regimen from 1100 to 1200, shower, brunch at 1230, jogging from 1300 to 1400, prepare portable dinner, equipment check, file out necessary reports and arrive at the station at 1900 until 0200, lights out at 0230.

“I can't figure how you kept up that schedule for nearly a month. This is rough.”

_Had to protect my little brother._

“You didn't have to play hero.”

_Says the guy who would have done the same, given the choice._

Touché. He sighs and tucks the boxes of VR programs under his arm, pulling open the door and stepping out into the hallway. It's going to be quiet around here without her.

He glances back into the room. “Well...I'll see you on the other side, Akane.”

_See ya, Aki._

The door gently clicks shut.


	5. File 05 [Abnormal]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deviating from what is normal or usual, often in an undesirable or worrying way; not conforming to a norm.

## Encounter

“...aside...help her...”

“You...to die?...you?”

Her eyes flutter open. The dark turquoise of the sky mixes with the bright red of the horizon, the black floor under her reflecting the light.

This is...the Astral Plane? She's...alive? She tries to move her legs and- oh fuck, she hisses and smacks her head against the floor, pain shooting up her right side as burning and prickling. Her jacket and shirt are crusted with blood up to her shoulder, the same blood pooled and coagulating beside her, but the skin under has been carefully cleaned and black stitches poke out of her flesh along her abdomen and just above her left clavicle, her arm bound to her chest with strips of cloth around her Legatus, and her radio...she's not gonna even try her radio, the outer corner has been ripped apart, antenna and all, the push button half a piece of melted plastic. Purple and black bruises in the shape of a hand mar her right forearm, and- ouch, up her right cheek too. What a goddamn mess. But...she's alive. _Someone_ kept her alive.

' _The woman in purple. Helped you._ '

Akane looks down at the device strapped to her arm. ' _Woman in purple?_ '

' _I didn't want you. To die like this,_ ' her Legion murmurs. ' _She helped. Where...I could not._ '

A woman in purple...in the Astral Plane? With deep breaths and gritted teeth, she manages to sit up, leaning back against the pillar of black stone beside her. She clenches her fist. Her Legatus spins up in response, and her partner appears before her, activating the blue matter of her body; her hair flares blue, eyes turning silver, the Astral Spark climbing up her cheeks through her veins and dulling the pain. “How long was I out?”

' _A few hours._ '

Still in June. She takes a deep breath. “I guess we _did_ make it, after all. The other Legions didn't follow?”

' _It seems. They were content to assume you were dead._ '

“Well, I sure feel dead.” She smiles with the good side of her face.

Okay, now to stand up. Her Legion is already curling around her to help her to her feet before she has to think about it, her cheeks heating up as their claws fold to her hip and graze her skin, and they bring her arm over their crest to rest across their neck, slowly lifting her off the floor, both of them hissing in unison. It's a good thing Legions regenerate their wounds.

“Hey, can you open gates?”

' _If they have been opened recently. But I cannot create them. I am not. A chimera. Anymore._ '

“Oh. Right.” They navigate the jagged walkway a few steps at a time. “I'm sorry. It must be awful to have been brought here against your will.”

' _I do not care._ '

“Yeah, I-” She stops and frowns and stares at her Legion. What. “What? What do you mean, you don't care? Isn't that what you were angry about? The whole 'not a toy to be used and discarded?'”

Claws clink against the chain. ' _I was speaking of. Our connection. That first night we met. Before you refused to hear my words._ '

“Refused to- I never refused to hear your words, you just wouldn't talk to me!”

' _Where do you think. Your headaches came from._ ' They stop toying with the links to tap the collar. ' _I spoke to you. Daily. And when it failed. I thought violence would help. It worked once before._ '

“I didn't hear anything...” She blinks. “Is- is that why you tried to take over my body? Because...because you _wanted_ to get me in a situation where I'd have to fight? So we could synchronize again?”

' _I have. No more control over your body. Than you do over mine. My emotions. Only amplified the ones you suppress._ '

“But I...” That was all her? Is she...really that brutal?

' _Your anger. Is justified._ '

Their conversation peters out just as they turn the corner. Seated by the edge, blonde hair held back by purple clips peeks out above a stained white coat, the woman's hand- purple nails- coming down then up to throw pistachio shells over into the void of the Astral Plane. Akane clears her throat, and the woman's hand stops. “Um...hi? Are you...the one who helped me?”

“I closed your wounds, if that's what you mean,” the woman says, her voice low and rough. “You should thank your Legion for keeping you alive until I found you.”

“You- you know about Legions?” Akane stumbles over to her...and stops short when the woman turns bright blue eyes toward her. Smudges of dried blood and dirt are smeared over her face, and the purple eyeshadow has spread all around her eyelids, but that's...oh god. “You're Jena Anderson.”

“So I am,” Anderson says, frowning. “And you're one of Yoseph's little dogs. Strange circumstances for us to meet in, isn't it.”

“You- you caused the Pandemic.”

“Oh, I see how it is.”

Akane pats down her holster to pull out her X-baton and aims the transforming barrel of her blaster at Anderson's head. Holy shit. How- what- why is she here, how is she here, has she been hiding in the Astral Plane for _twenty years_ , that can't be right, no one can survive here that long. She grits her teeth and pushes the questions aside for later, when she's out of the Astral Plane and Anderson is behind bars where she _belongs_. Her hand shakes around the handle of her weapon. “You're under arrest. You make a hasty move, and I shoot you. Don't worry, it won't kill you, but it'll hurt like a _bitch._ ”

Anderson looks from the blue light of her blaster back up to her face with a slow blink. “And how do you plan to arrest me, officer? I don't believe the Astral Plane has a prison.” She chuckles. “Other than the obvious. Besides, you're in no state to defend yourself.”

Akane shifts her Legion closer. “I can still fight, still have blood running through my veins. And I can find a way out as long as I'm alive.”

“I see.” Anderson sighs. In a blur of motion, she brings her legs up from the edge, and Akane pulls the trigger- the blaster clatters to the floor, the tip of the blade scraping against the top of her hand before it's lightly pushed against her jugular- her Legion snarls and Anderson does so right back, purple energy sparking around and climbing up her cheeks in jagged lines, eyes turned orange on black, and plates of bone sprout out of her shoulder around purple skin to support the sharpened spike that used to be her arm. “Don't move. Either of you.”

Akane swallows, raising her hand in surrender. “What the fuck are you.”

“I am what I am,” Anderson states. “Now, since you're awake, I have a few questions for you, hound. Answer them, and I won't spill that blood of yours.”

“What's the point of helping me if you're just going to kill me?”

“You can be useful. If you know my name in the context of the Pandemic, then that means Yoseph has reasons to speak of it now. Why did he?”

Akane breathes out through her nose. “We found your goons peddling your drug in Central City. They weren't even trying to be subtle, they just stuck the tubes in trash cans with the purple gunk still in them, it took five minutes for the commander to recognize it as ARI materials.”

“My drug?”

“The purple liquid you distributed into Zone 09. The thing that made the ground itself _redshift_ when my brother dropped some.”

“Oh, so Yoseph is still producing it,” Anderson mutters.

Akane narrows her eyes. “You're going to blame the commander now? Really?”

“And _you_ are just going to take his claims at face value?” Anderson asks, shaking her head. “I have spent twenty years hiding myself from Yoseph and the chimeras. You think I would be so inept at hiding my actions now? You did not find it suspicious that it was so easy to find, or the proof so poorly concealed? That the materials were from the ARI, the same ARI under Yoseph's control, with full access to my research and compiled data?”

Akane opens her mouth. Closes it. And frowns. That's... “He told us you destroyed it all...”

“I destroyed everything that I've worked thousands of hours over, bled and sweat for, that both Yoseph and I backed up in a dozen different ways?” Anderson growls and throws a- a data card at her. “I worked under his supervision. Nothing I did went under his nose. You can see for yourself.”

She flips the data card in her palm. The logo of the ARI gleams on the edge of the white plate. Dozens of files pop up on the hologram screen as it slides into the Legatus' reader. Files stored in a database, share function opened to...Jena Anderson and Yoseph Calvert, last backed up on...June 19, 2078, by...Yoseph Calvert. Just four days before they found the vials...

The blade withdraws from her throat as her hands fall to her sides. No way. Yoseph made her skin crawl, but- he wouldn't be so much of a monster as to willingly send his people to their deaths, right. “Why would-”

“Because he has no care in the world for anyone other than himself,” Anderson interrupts, barring her teeth. “I'm not done with my questions. Why is your Legion still with you?”

Akane tilts her head. “Why wouldn't they be?”

“Anyone with the slightest ability to sense energy would have felt the storm that was produced by the Legions' rebellion.” Anderson looks over to her Sword, her partner clicking their face plates and exposing their fangs. “I was hoping you would all perish in it, and yet...here you are, wounded but with a Legion bound to your side, willing to follow your orders. The only reason I found your location was by your Legion's frantic calls for help; I had no idea chimeras could even _feel._ ”

Akane's cheeks heat up from her Sword's embarrassment, but she frowns and leans to ease the pressure on her right side. “We have an understanding.”

“An understanding...could that work with the homunculi?” Anderson mutters to herself, hums and taps her foot, her sword dissolving into purple particles as her eyes turn back to normal, raising to the sky. Her arm looks just slightly off, but...her sleeve isn't even damaged, huh. The power of an aberration without the downsides...

' _Attack._ '

Akane glances at her Legion and frowns. ' _What? No. Not yet, at least. She knows things._ '

' _She wanted to kill you. She is a threat!_ ' Her Sword hisses.

' _I'm not going to kill whoever points a weapon at me!_ ' She hisses back, and huffs through her nose, turning her sight back to Anderson. “You said you wanted us to die.”

Anderson looks back down to her. “I don't know what Yoseph is planning with the Legionis System,” she sighs. “Not anymore. Your power...could be humanity's downfall. It would be easier if you were gone.”

“But you saved me.”

“Call it the part of me that's still human. Leaving someone to bleed to death puts a bad taste in my mouth. ” The air sparks red. Dammit. “One last question, hound: do you know a man by the name of Douglas Baumann?”

Akane backs away, her Legion diving down to retrieve her X-baton. Of course chimeras would find them eventually. “Never heard the name. You should get that neat sword of yours rea-”

Anderson raises her hand.

And the gate tears open under her fingers, the membrane collapsing in on itself as tendrils of red reach out to pull bits of black stone from the pillars around and vessels pulse with energy, and swirling arms grasp at Anderson's sides, her flesh breaking down into purple particles- Akane chokes on her words. “You- can you- you can open _gates._ ”

The corner of Anderson's lips turns up. “A trick of the trade. It's something you pick up after spending enough time here. I'm sure you'll get around to it soon enough, hound.”

Wait. “Wait, wait, you- you're not leaving me here, are you?!”

“And what would you do if I didn't?” Anderson turns her palms up to the sky. “Would you return to your master? Hand him back the power he needs on a silver platter? Or perhaps you'd simply let them take you in as a research subject and strap you down to a table for the rest of your life? I'm not naive enough to believe you would put your trust in me, hound, and you don't have the power necessary to stand against Yoseph. Even if you went and shot him dead, then what? You would be declared an enemy of humanity and those above him would continue his work unimpeded.”

Akane grits her teeth and raises her blaster. “I need to get back to my brother. And I still have questions-”

“That's not an answer. I already made the mistake of trusting someone on emotional appeal. I will not do so again.” Her body shatters into cubes. “Goodbye, hound. Take a look at those files, when you have time.”

“Wait!” The energy round passes right through where the gate used to be. Akane jumps forward and- and skids to a stop, curling into herself as pain shoots up her side. Don't be sick, don't be sick, don't be sick. Her Legion turns to her. “O-open the gate. We're following her.”

With a nod, their hand pierces through the air, claws disappearing into the folds of reality.

They jerk back with a flinch.

One of their claws is cut off at the tip. Holy shit. ' _It is. Closed._ '

“What do you mean 'closed?!'”

' _She is keeping it. Closed. I cannot reach through._ '

“Fuck!” She hisses and buries her hand in her hair. “Fuck. I can't stay here! I didn't have time to ask Anderson what she's planning, I need to get back to Akira, and I need to ask the commander why he lied about his involvement!”

' _There may be. A gate further down,_ ' her Legion whispers. ' _The card. May provide information on their activities._ '

She looks up and smiles, and coughs. “Right. Right! The card! Right! Okay, let's go!”

Her Legion returns to coil their arm around her while she opens the database and scrolls through the files, taking careful steps when her body allows her to. There's...a lot from Yoseph.

'Easy though it is to assume the gates bring nothing but disaster to the planet, but this disregards the tremendous technological advancements they've made possible...” Boring.

'February 2043, Earth found itself faced with disaster, brought about by a meteor impact that opened the gates to the Astral Plane. Matter the likes of which Earth has never seen leaks through the gates as a toxic miasma, blah blah blah, call this process “redshift,” blah, significant threat to our species.' She doesn't need the history lesson.

'Not a word of this came as a surprise to me.' Huh? 'And yet, thus far, I had been powerless to stop it. I must confess my judgment at the time was clouded.

The Prophets. Those who find the future written in the past. They sought me out for my research; after all, we share an interest in human evolutionary potential. They had much to tell me on the true history of our species: that humankind flourishes now like it has twice before. The previous two times, it met with utter ruin, weighed in the balance and found wanting. Now, we once again face such an ordeal, a third chance to prove ourselves, to change the fate reserved for failures, an extinction event so brutal as to return us to the stone age.

Not that I took these “Prophets” at their literal word, not at first. After all, their means are not scientific. However, even I cannot deny that all they foretold came to pass; the pieces of North America we had left were lost to the gates last week. The UNION is scrambling to put together a brave face for the rich fools funding them. Thus, I pledged to the Prophets- to my species- that I would do all in my power to stop this extinction. To save humankind.

And they told me: build an Ark.

At their guidance, I gathered a considerable staff and constructed a new home, where humankind found refuge from what might have been our doom. It has been an arduous undertaking, far beyond even myself, but luckily, I now have allies that I can trust to the grave. The Seekers may yet prove to be useful.

Now is the time for us to greet our future together. Per Aspera Ad Arcam.'

She glances up from the notes. “Twice before? That's insane. Either they had some really convincing arguments, or the commander is stupid.”

' _The masters have done this. Countless times before. All across the universe._ '

Her Legion stops beside her as she pulls on the chain. “What? What mas-” An image of- what _is_ that? That's too many eyes and too many arms- flashes behind her eyelids. She draws a breath through her teeth. “What the _hell_ is that?”

' _The masters of the Astral Plane,_ ' her Legion states.

“You're saying...” She clenches her fist. “You're saying the commander is telling the truth here? T-these things have done all of this before? All of this? Why? W-what's the point?”

' _I am not. Privy to their knowledge._ '

“If even you don't know...are these 'Prophets' the masters?”

Her Legion contemplates.

...Was the Ark always doomed?

* * *

## Tuesday

'It appears the temperature in Antarctica is rapidly rising.

The UNION has finally authorized our investigation into the meteor impact that occurred seven months ago, yet even as we stand here, the sounds of crackling ice accompany us, and water has visibly flooded into areas previously secured. This collection of files will serve as a way to document our findings and theories, should we have to pass our work on to the next generation. The Ark must be completed.

So far, we have established a camp of operations in the cabin closest to the impact site. Tomorrow, Ann and Min will venture into the crater to gather any data we might be able to unearth on this mysterious “meteor.”'

She coughs and pushes on to the next file.

'I do not know how to describe the things I saw.

Perhaps I should begin with what I can. The “meteor.” This morning, we descended into the impact site, trudging through the snow onto a ground of black stone. Whatever material this “stone” is composed of, it is impossible to break with our current tools- I suspect it is something entirely out of this world, as is the meteor itself. Min immediately complained of a heavy feeling, yet we continued until our objective was in sight.

And what a sight it was. I was, truly, in awe. It is approximately 18 kilometres in diameter, much too large to be classified as a meteor, halfway sunk into the soil, and made of a comparable material to the ground, yet unlike it, it appears to shine a crimson light and is distinctly marked by similarly-coloured striations. The resemblance to the gates is uncanny. This celestial body has to have been fashioned by intelligent hands; the stone is cut into straight edges and the cubic pieces of it are interwoven too regularly to have been created by geological processes, extrasolar or not.

They arrived without warnings. As we were finishing our recording, the air around us became nigh impossible to breathe, the gates opened, and creatures descended upon us. I cannot describe them better than creatures. The only way I could see them was by the light that haloed them. We ran, but Min fell to their attack.

Ann and Yoshiya have refused to return to the site. I must find a way to convince them. There was an entity atop the pillars of the meteor. I caught a short glimpse of it as the light reflected off of it. I could feel its gaze upon my back. It is intelligent. Beautiful. I must know more.'

“Were you,” cough, “there all the other times this happened?”

Her Legion floats down from their perch. ' _Every chimera was there. Our memories exist. As an extent form of the Astral Plane. Individuality was not something I knew. Until I met you._ '

“Oh.” She shifts and stretches out her legs. “Hold on, your memories are stored in the Astral Plane? Here?”

' _No._ ' Gently, her Legion fold their claws around her available hand and bring it to the growth of red matter by her side, blue energy gathering between their palms. Filaments of light break away from the red matter and form plates of data that slowly coalesce into...a human silhouette? It splits apart into pieces and snaps back together with each step, the plates fading out of existence until it disappears back into the red matter-

“ _Lia, step back!” Olivia yells through her respirator, pushing her wife away from the monster coming at them. They're going to be overrun sooner or later if they stay here; her forehead is bleeding into her eyes, her smashed kneecap is digging into her tendons. She breaks her crowbar into the side of the thing's cranium. Where the hell are the enforcers?!_

Her hand smacks away her partner's grip, and she scuttles backward until her back hits the pillar. “That was a person.”

' _Human. Once. Before the masters brought them here. To be archived._ '

“Archived?” Oh no. No no no. “Then this whole place...the Astral Plane, it's all...made from us? Your memories, they're just...”

' _Animals. Plants. Planets. Memories. Emotions. All matter is stored here and reorganized. To start the cycle anew._ ' Her Legion growls. ' _When the time comes. The masters will take these people. To make their hunters. Chimeras._ '

She curls into her jacket and bites her lip. “That's...even if we take out a million chimeras, how many more billions are there?” Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? She shuts her eyes. “Have you found a way out?”

' _No. No gates. No chimeras._ '

She sighs through gritted teeth and lets her head fall against the pillar. “This is ridiculous. There's no way we shouldn't have come across _something_ , right? How long have we been looking?”

' _Two days, fourteen hours,_ ' her Sword states.

“Two _bloody_ days.” She pushes her palm against her eye socket. Who knows what kind of mess Jena or Yoseph might be making out there. At least the Astral Plane's swallowed up enough junk that a few supply crates made it through. With a grunt, she rolls back to her feet. “Let's go a little further. I need a break from...all of this.”

* * *

## Monday?

'Fascinating. That is the only word I can use.

I finally managed to convince Ann and Yoshiya to return to the impact site by telling them we would stay far enough away to avoid the creatures' notice. They have pledged their lives to the pursuit of knowledge, as have I. We gathered our equipment and made our way once more onto the stone, where I set up the recorders and a few sound traps, in the hope that it would attract our inscrutable visitors into a compact area, then I retreated to a hill further up the slope.

Ann shrieked behind me. I turned, and I saw the thing stumbling toward her. Not the creatures of yesterday, no, this was very visible. But the most astonishing trait was that it was _Min_. His face, if you could call it a face, was unrecognizable, bone white, hairless and with burning crimson lights buried within the eye sockets, and his hands had twisted into gigantic claws, but I immediately knew from his apparel.

Within seconds, the creatures also joined the fray, throwing her through one of the gates. The sound traps were entirely ineffective in dissuading them from doing the same with Yoshiya. I am thankful they did not notice me. From my vantage point, I was able to observe them for the next hour.

I have decided to name them “chimeras,” for the ancient hybrid of Greek mythology; they are seemingly made of disparate parts, some of them with humanoid bodies but the legs of a dog, others with the talons of a bird and wings sprouting out of their heads. Their intelligence is minimal, mostly instinctual, and they accept orders from their masters without any opposition.

The entity atop the meteor, I have named “Aether,” for the primordial deity of light. It is unlike the lowly chimeras, standing with the grace and emanating the violence of a true god, an unmistakable halo floating above its head. It has many arms, at least six that I could see, and three heads joined into a mass of light. It is the one directing the chimeras, that I am certain of, though I could not determine by what means they communicate among themselves.

Most importantly, Ann and Yoshiya came back through the gates as deformed and monstrous as Min. We can now ascertain that the aberrations we have noticed through areas of gate outbreaks are a direct result of the chimeras, these new invisible enemies. The Ark may save us, but I do not know for how long.

A long term solution must be devised.'

She shuts her eyes and rests her head against the pillar as they hover over to her side. ' _It is not. One of the masters. Just the harbinger of the end._ '

“I...can't figure out...why Anderson wanted me to read this,” she drawls, her posture drooping. “I thought...it'd be something to prove the commander's guilty, but it's just...” She waves her hand through the air. “Was the Pandemic...part of his solution? Well, kill off everyone is one _hell_ of a _solution_!”

They lift their arm to catch her before she falls backward. ' _You should sleep._ '

She barks a short laugh that dissolves into a coughing fit. “Maybe! Maybe...” Humans need sleep, don't they? Even with the Astral Spark powering her body and minutes of rest between their treks through their home. She slumps down to her knees. “What about you?”

' _I do not require sleep. Or rest. Not here._ ' They tilt their head.

“I didn't...” Her eyes flutter shut and snap back open. “Are you gonna stay? You could just...leave me to the chimeras, y'know? Just do whatever you want?”

Whatever they want? They reach out to drag their claws through her hair, helping her lie down on her good side. ' _Sleep._ '

“You have...a name or something?" She mumbles. "Just realized I never...never considered if you were more...than just...”

And her consciousness winks out from their bond.

They continue to stroke her hair and work their fingers through blue knots, until her muscles stop twitching and her breath evens out, not a cough to shake her out of sleep. _Finally._ To think she was slicing them apart just a week ago. Humans form relationships so _easily._ Their power courses through her veins as she walks the tightrope over the boundary between human and chimera; the Astral Spark shines delicately through her skin, activated blue matter raising motes of light from her hair, but she's still so _small_ , they could wrap one hand around both of her wrists- where did that come from. She would probably break their face plates with her feet if they tried. Small, but not weak.

A sigh pushes through their fangs as a hiss, their hand hovering over her to extract the excess red matter that comes to cling to her cells. They curl up around her. Caring for a human...troublesome little thing.

* * *

## Wednesday

She wipes down her face with the last wet towel, takes a bite of the meal replacement bar and sighs, leaning back against the deactivated pillars. The sound of claws clicking on metal draws her eyes over to the sleek silhouette of her Legion cut out in reds and purples from the bright light of the horizon, their head turned up to the sky. Did they look this beautiful before they became a Legion? She follows their line of sight.

“Are those...chimeras?” Particles of red light distort the sky, three little forms breaking up the dark colour with their white bodies, pieces of some kind of carapace streaked with red floating around them. SHE-C-4F413-00, Ker, C-Scale C2. They turn their large heads toward her and flick pointy ears...and turn away, drifting off behind the pillars in the distance. “Huh. They're...just going to leave?”

' _Ker's purpose,_ ' her partner whispers. “ _Is to maintain the Astral Plane. And provide support to other chimeras. You humans might call them. The masters' secretaries. They do not attack unless provoked._ ”

Even the Astral Plane needs its little people, huh. She smiles. “They're se-”

' _Sekertaries._ '

“Aw, come on, it's not fair if you read my mind.”

Her Legion floats over to her as she stands back up. ' _If they are going to provide support. Following them. Might be a good idea._ '

“Right.” The two of them stomp on the switch plates, the pillars sparking blue and retreating back into the ground. “So, why aren't there more chimeras like them? You're, well, the chimeras are all really diverse physically...”

' _Ker were not created. To follow orders,_ ' her Sword says. ' _Few others. Escape the masters' influence._ '

She frowns and hops from one block of red matter to the next. “Influence? Do you mean...like _brainwashing?_ ”

' _No. It is the fear and respect. Given to someone who holds power over your life and death. It is the only true death. A chimera may experience. Even when I destroy their cores. Their essence continues to live within me. In a way. Surely humans must understand? You are so much more finite._ '

“I don't really respect them, no...but I know people who do. A lot of people turned to religion when the gates appeared.” Everyone needs to believe in _something_. “So...if your masters ordered you to, would you go back to them?”

' _No,_ ' her Legion growls. ' _Why would I trap myself again? Going through the same motions. Iteration after iteration. Always seeking a higher purpose!_ '

She shakes the chain. “This is your higher purpose? I'm flattered, but...”

' _Even if it is not. I would rather find it at your side. Than theirs._ '

"I..." She smiles. "I'll help however I can."

* * *

## Th█rs█ay

'File secured. Enter password:'

“Another encryption lock.” Dammit, she's not Akira- her heart clenches just thinking of his name. She swipes back out to the database and pats her Legion on the arm. “Any luck?” Her partner responds with a very clear growl. “Yeah, me neither. Thanks, Anderson.”

She rotates her injured shoulder slowly, methodically, bones clicking together and fresh muscles burning with the effort; her side still whines at her as she climbs the stairs of red matter, her oblique taking its sweet time to sew itself back together. At least she can...eh, kinda swing her X-baton- she yelps and her Legion grabs her by the back of her jacket before she has a chance to tumble down the stairs, sending a pulse of exasperation to resonate over the chain. She smiles back.

And almost tumbles down anyway when her Legatus pings a signal. She presses every possible button on the device. A signal! A signal means someone, a signal means a connection to the outside world, a gate, could be a gate!

The distress signal snaps her IRIS on so quickly she closes her eyes against the intrusion. But the little orange diamond is painted onto her vision.

She breaks off into a run, her Legion dashing to catch up with her. Pillars and cubes fly past her.

Ah, the howls of chimeras, music to her ears. When's the last time she heard the bloody things? She slows down slightly at the sound of...are those wings?

“B-back off! Uh, I- I have, uh, oh, no, no no no, don't! Augh! T-that was my camera cable!”

Three humanoid chimeras, giant off-white wings growing out of their heads keeping them afloat, purple-brown armour covering blood red skin, surrounding and pestering a...a cheery yellow drone? Akira said electronics shouldn't work around chimeras...her IRIS only returns garbled data from its scan. That thing can't be a normal drone. Well, whatever gets her out of here.

The bright blue blades of its propulsion fan whir as it barely avoids one of the chimeras' green talons. “Ha-hah! Didn't think I still had it in me, huh?”

She flicks her X-baton over into blaster mode and breathes out slowly. WIG-C-76E8F-01, Aello, C-Scale C2. Four of her six shots pierce through the rightmost chimera's wing, sending it sprawling to the ground with a squawk and a screech quickly interrupted by her Legion's blade perforating its throat once, then twice to crack open the shell of its core, stomping onto the creature's legs as they wrest the beating heart out of its socket.

The other two Aello turn masked faces toward her. One of them caws and charges, and she steps aside, flipping her X-baton around as it turns back to standard settings to smash the rod against its mask, reversing its momentum to pin it to the floor. She dances out of the way of its claws, pocketing her weapon to curl both hands around the length of the Astral Chain- picture a shackle of energy around her enemy, pour her will into the Astral Spark, raise her arms and _spin_. Her Legion goes limp, letting her drag them around in a wide circle above her head, around the torso of the recovering chimera and binding it in a web of chains, giving her just enough time to switch to her gladius and cleave its core right in half.

“I- I can help!” The remaining chimera squeals as the drone whacks it on the head, driving it into a spin, its wings flapping around with the force of a cyclone. She snorts and send out her Sword to repeat their performance of the first Aello.

The core once more explodes into a shower of red particles.

She sighs and- god, _damn_ , she shuts her hand closed around her shoulder and gags at the metallic taste filling her mouth. That manoeuvre was _such_ a bad idea. Cool, efficient, but _bad_.

“Woah, I've never seen anyone dispatch chimeras that quickly. Hey, are you okay?” The drone spins on itself. “Uh, hang on, I'm gonna have to start up a new scan, that chimera took my camera offline...agh, I should have added hands on this thing...”

“The last thing I expected to see in the Astral Plane was a drone being harassed by chimeras.” Said drone turns its eyes toward her, and she drags herself over to it. “Well, I guess you're not really a drone, though, huh? More like a UAV or something. Need help?”

“Oh, would you?” The fan lifts it higher. “It's that little blue cable underneath, you just need to plug it back into the round 4-pin connector beside it. Oh, scan finished, alright...” She reaches up and twists the cable around, popping it back where it belongs. “UEY003216? That can't be right...let me reboot!”

She tilts her head. “That's my ID. How did you get that?”

The drone's antenna splits in half, its “eyelids” opening and closing rapidly. “And....there! That- hang on, what? It's still- wait- you-” Its owner's voice chokes on their words, and the drone leans forward into her space, blue lights shining into her own eyes. “You- you! It's you! You're alive?!”

“As alive as I can be. Do you-”

“You've been gone for two weeks! Everyone at Neuron thought you were dead! Even the commander said you were...but, but you're alive! And that's-” It twists its spherical head toward her Legion. “That's the Sword Legion! Amazing!”

Neuron, commander, Legion. It's already been two weeks? She grabs the drone's chassis and spins it around toward her. “You're from Neuron? Do you know a Akira Howard? Or Maximilian Howard? Jin Wong? Alicia Lopez? Is everyone alright?”

“Wha- uh- well, um,” the drone stutters. “Y-yeah, last I heard, uh, they were released from the ARI last week.”

Oh, they had to go to the ARI, Aki must've been so pissed. She lets out the breath she was holding and lets her arms fall back to her sides. “Thank god. I knew they had to have survived, but...it's good to have confirmation. Uh, sorry for handling you so roughly.”

“Ah, I've had worse. Chimeras...don't really play nice.”

She chuckles. “I bet. Do...you have a name I can call you by?”

“Er. You...well, call me Hal, okay?” The drone leans from side to side.

“Hal.” She nods. “Alright, Hal. Can you get me out of here? If you got in here, you gotta have a way out, right?”

“Oh...well...I got dragged in here by those chimeras, so...” Seriously? She sighs and grimaces. “B-but I can scan for a gate! It shouldn't take too long!”

“Really? Oh, perfect!” With a cough, she takes a seat on one of the largest red matter crystals as Hal's antenna starts blinking and closes her eyes, letting the prickle of her remaining stitches settle. What's her plan now? Once she gets out of the Astral Plane...check up on her brother. Then shower. Then...report to Max? No. No, she can't involve either of them in this mess. If Anderson's lying...well, she's not human, what can they even do against her? On the other hand, if Anderson is right, then Yoseph has the backing of the entire UNION government and possibly the masters of the Astral Plane, and it's her word against that of the most respected man on the Ark, without anything to back her up except more proof that she's been in contact with the woman who has been declared _responsible for the Pandemic, shit._

' _One thing at a time,_ ' her Legion whispers. She lets her head fall back against their chest. ' _Breathe._ '

“Uh. Is...everything alright?” Hal asks. She blinks at him. “Something I can help with? Um, the scan might take some time, so...”

Right. She can't panic now. “You're a hacker, right?”

“Huh?! W-what makes you think that?”

“You're...using a modified government-issued drone.”

“I'm...” Hal stops moving. “Okay, that's fair. Why do you ask?”

“Do you know anything about encryption?”

“I...have some experience with it. Why?” The drone floats down to her height. “Did you have something to encrypt?”

“No, _de_ crypt.” She flips the ejection mechanism on the reader, and pulls the data card out of her Legatus, waving it toward Hal. “All of these files are password locked, and...I'm not my brother, computer stuff isn't my deal.”

“Oh, I can definitely help with that!” Hal says, excitedly bobbing up and down. One of the side panels on their drone flips open. “My card reader should work.”

Her breathing slows down a little. Akira would have a field day with this guy. The card neatly fits into the slot, and Hal closes the panel back up with a hum. “Alright...those are some big files. AES 256...I'm going to have to pull out the big guns. Hang on...this is from the ARI? From...the commander and...Jena Anderson?!” His sensors open wide. “Where did you _get_ that? I'm not going to get in trouble doing this, am I?”

“Not as long as you don't snitch on me. Are you planning to snitch on me?”

“No! I-I'm not that kind of guy!” Hal shouts, their drone shaking with their defence. “It's just...Jena Anderson!”

“Yeah. I me-” Her Legion grumbles and lands down onto the crystal beside her in a protective stance, blades half-formed. She rolls her eyes. What could Hal do, bonk her on the head? “I met her.”

Hal flies back in surprise. “You met her?! Here?! In the Astral Plane?!”

“She patched me up. I probably would just be a cold corpse for the chimeras to take care of if she hadn't been there.” Her Sword growls at the idea.

“She saved you,” Hal murmurs. “But...why? I thought she was supposed to be the bad guy.”

Akane drums her fingers on her seat. “I don't know if I'd call her good either. She said she helped me because it left a bad taste in her mouth to leave someone to bleed out...but then she left me here, so.” She shrugs. “I didn't really learn anything from her, so don't ask too many questions. I just wouldn't trust Yoseph too much if I were you.”

“Is that...what this card is about?” Hal asks, before closing their sensors. “Never mind, don't answer that. I'm curious, but I'm not ready to go down for treason yet.”

She snorts. “Yet?”

“Er, forget I said that. I'll decrypt those files and just leave it to you, okay?”

“My lips are as sealed as yours. Uh, assuming you _have_ lips. Anything on the scan yet?”

“Oh, I'd almost forgotten about it. Should be almost complete...” The drone's processor whines. “Wow, I've never seen a field this empty. But!” She straightens out and sucks in a breath. “There _is_ an open gate about 900 metres north! There's...a whole lot of chimeras in the area, though.”

Yes! Her Legion purrs. ' _I can. Take care of those._ '

She smiles and shuffles to her feet, reaching out to rest her hand on her partner's arm. “I think we can handle chimeras.”

“Are you sure?” Hal tilts to one side. “You're...really hurt.”

“I'm not bleeding again, am I?” She pats her blood-crusted jacket. Nope. Strong stitching. “No, it's just my jacket. The rest of my blood is still inside of me. Besides, I can call in for medical as soon as I get out of here.”

“You must have a _really_ high pain tolerance...but, okay. Let's go, then! I can keep cracking open the files on the way.”

Hal makes the emptiness of the Astral Plane just a tad more lively as she follows after them.

“So, Hal.”

The drone turns around and keeps floating backward. “What's up?”

“You must be in the tech division, huh? I haven't seen you at the station. I was just there for a week and a half, but still.”

“Uh, I don't really like being around people.”

“Oh, so you _are_ in tech.”

“Wha-” Hal jerks to a stop. “No, no, I- argh! I forgot you guys are still detectives...”

She chuckles. “Sorry, it just comes naturally. You don't need to tell me more! It's just, I bet Akira would be stoked to meet you. Drone or not.”

“That's...your brother, right? I've seen him a lot from the cameras in the technical division room. He hasn't been there in a while, though.”

“Yeah, that's his favourite place to hang out! He wanted to be an engineer when he was younger.”

“How do you go from engineer to police...”

She shrugs- startles and staggers when her Legion's fingers slip between hers, curling close to her. She blinks at them, their face plates flaring out, but they keep a steady gaze forward, stretching out their limbs and rolling their neck even when the Astral Chain vibrates with affection. She climbs the stairs and looks down at their joined hands, the ridged blue skin against her red tones. Brushing her hair, the little touches to her hips and back, holding her close...who'd have thought chimeras could be so sweet.

“Um, officer?”

She raises her eyes back to Hal. “Hm? Oh, you can just call me Akane.”

“Oh, alright, Akane? Well, it was tough, but I just managed to crack through some of the files on the data card. A big folder of them. I skimmed over it, and it seems like a collection of miscellaneous info related to a project the ARI is working on.” The drone tilts down. “Jena must have compiled this when she attacked the lab.”

When she what. “When she what.”

“Oh...uh...there was an attack on the Aegis Research Institute two weeks ago,” Hal explains. “Jena Anderson was caught on camera stealing Legion cores from the Legion laboratory. She can open gates!”

A cold current runs down her spine. “Is everyone okay?”

“Uh, yeah, the place was empty at the time.” She sighs in relief. “I just can't think of any other times she would have had to get files from the ARI. Uh, should I transfer them back to you?”

“Can you do that?”

“Yeah, they're just text and images!”

“Alright. Thanks, Hal.”

Her Legatus beeps, the hologram screen warning her of the incoming transfer. It _is_ a big folder...Project NOAH? And Zone 09. She taps on the file.

It's...a map? Zone 09, Sector V, Upper Region. What's the ARI interested in in Zone 09? She flicks over to the 'Blue Evolve' file.

“There's some files I couldn't decrypt at all, though,” Hal comments. “I don't even know what kind of cipher they're using.”

Chemicals and chemicals neatly lined up in a list, none of them she can even read. 'P.S. If any of you ever fail to encrypt Dr. Calvert's work properly again, I'll be chucking you through a gate, got it? :)' The note at the bottom reads. She raises an eyebrow and taps the yellow drone. “You...wouldn't also happen to know anything about chemistry, Hal?”

“Hm? Sort of? I have a lot of downtime when I'm running long scripts.” Hal hovers over to behind her shoulder. “Which file is that? Blue...Evolve? Let me take a look and I'll come back to you on that.”

“Sure.” She nods.

'Blood Transfusion as Vector for Redshift Transmission, by UAX000001 Yoseph Calvert, January 5th, 2058, laboratory partners UDK000121 Jena Anderson, UNP002566 Yuuichi Fontaine and URS001183 Zi Xuan Evans. INFORMATION CLASSIFIED. UNION AUTHORIZATION ONLY.

Abstract: Several reports of redshift were reported in Zone 09, each one traced back to blood transfusions from a former patient of the ARI, UBF003445 Tatiana Hill. We examined blood samples from twenty-four current patients to discover if red matter can remain in the blood after Blueshift procedures, and for how long. Three samples were taken per patient. The first was kept as a control, and tested, on average, at a red matter level of 5.5. The second and third were put through Blueshift procedures, the former for our typical 2 hours, and the third overnight. Results revealed that, while symptoms of redshift entirely disappear after 2 hours, red matter levels in the blood do not drop below 4 until an average of 12 hours have passed, and that it is the stimulating effects of activated blue matter that overtake the effects of redshift. This can be easily verified in the future by drawing blood before releasing patients, as blood that hasn't been properly treated shines a bright magenta outside of the body.'

“Huh. Pharmaceuticals aren't really my domain, but from what I can tell, this Blue Evolve thing is pretty similar to an anti-redshift drug the government was distributing years ago. But all these drug tests here include an extra chemical compound I can't ID-”

“It's blood. Or...or something extracted from it.”

Hal stops and blinks at her a few times. “Blood...yeah, that...could be hemoglobin...but why?”

“Because it's meant to _cause_ redshift, not cure it.”

“What?”

“Yoseph and his team found out that blood could transport red matter. It's bright magenta in vials. We found vials of purple liquid in Central City. Right after the gate outbreak.”

“I...are you serious?” Huh, so even a drone can look sick. “But, but the commander is the one who made the Legions. And he came up with the technology for the X-baton, and he's the head of the ARI! Why would he try to stop it and cause it at the same time?”

“I don't _know._ Maybe it's all just a front, maybe he legitimately wanted to help people and something changed at some point. All I have are theories. So I need...” She pushes her thumb and index against her eyes. “Urgh, I need to find Anderson again.”

“You're not...planning to stay here, are you?” Hal asks.

She shakes her head. “No way! I'll find some way to track her down.”

“Oh, good,” Hal sighs. “You seem like a good person, and we're sorely missing on that front, you know? Anyway, the gate's right this way!”

Her partner helps her up the stairs, two steps at a time, following behind Hal. The buzz of a gate fills the air by the time they reach the landing. Hal cautiously floats over to the edge of the walkway.

“Oh. That is a _lot_ of chimeras.”

She sidles up to his side, crouching as best as she can. No kidding. One, two, threefourfivesix- twelve, twelve chimeras, HUM-C-F5DB3-00, C-Scale C2, amassed around a thirteenth, its white antelope head roaming over its little army, a long coat of black plates wrapped around its body, held together by fleshy brown strips, and a purple bladed polearm clutched between its claws, glowing with red energy. HUM-C-16C2B-00, Hector, C-Scale C6. It raises its free hand and all the other chimeras look up to it, arranging themselves into columns with a series of howls and grunts.

“It's...commanding them?” Hal mutters. Their drone jumps in place. “Wha- another gate?”

She glances at him. Another? Goddammit...his antenna begins blinking for another scan. She turns her eyes back to the chimeric crowd. Two against twelve. They need to spread out and separate them as best as they can to stand any chance against this many chimeras, especially in her state. She can't just let them swarm the outside world...

The antenna stops blinking and Hal spins their drone around. “That- no way. That chimera...that's the Arrow Legion!” What. “And...UBF005329...oh no.”

“Akira?” Her voice comes out a whisper.

Why _now._ She bites her lip, looking between Hal and the diminishing group of chimeras, Hector directing them through the gate. Between the life of her brother and the lives of who knows how many people...

' _Perhaps. You should have more faith in him._ ' Her Legion stares off into the distance. ' _There is something. Different about him._ '

She...should have more faith. Right. She taps her fingers against the ground. He's still a Howard. He's still Max's son. She breathes out and stands up and turns to Hal. “Hal. How quickly can you get to him?”

“Wha? Me? Uh...maybe...ten minutes?”

“Okay.” She nods, taking a step back toward the edge. Her Legion wraps their arm around her. “Then go. I just need someone to make sure he's safe, okay?”

The drone's eyes open wide. “W-wait! Me?! What can I even do?!”

“Don't let me down, Hal!”

“Offi- Akane!”

She steps off the edge, falling against her partner's chest. ' _Please be safe, Aki._ '

Every monstrous head turn toward her as her Sword places her back down to the ground. Monstrous...are they even aware of what they're doing? Following orders under threat of death...it's a little sad. She pushes up on the switch of her X-baton, wrapping both hands around the handle of the gladius- and her blade slams into the head of the first chimera when it charges at her, snapping through its spiky crest and bringing it right into the path of her partner's blade, their arm piercing the golden shell. She spins around the creature with her hand to the chain, pulling the weight of her Legion and the impaled chimera into a wide circle that bowls over two other chimeras, the trio dissolving into particles under the impact, another getting tangled into the chain. Her Legion crushes their cores between their teeth, and with a wave of their hand, summons forth three spikes from the ground to surround them, dashing forward into the trapped chimera.

Hector comes at her with a swipe. She grits her teeth and ducks, barely in time to avoid it, and the chimera forces her back with a quick series of slashes. Its arm flashes red as it slowly raises, and she stops the overhead strike with the links of the chain, pushing past the snap and the flood of liquid heat that drips down her shoulder to slip into its defence and stab her weapon into its chest as she switches back to the X-baton. The thin rod punctures through its left pectoral with a wooden thunk- she doesn't have time to pull it back out before she has to scramble away as Hector howls and abandons its two-handed grip on its spear to try and grab at her. Its claws rip through her sock and the skin underneath.

“Dammit, the IRIS marks it as C6, why's it so strong?” She claps her hand over her shoulder, blood spurting between her fingers and into her boot. Her Legion comes back to her side, worry pouring out of them, and they growl at the three chimeras advancing on the two of them. Hector curls its arm, plucks her X-baton out of its chest, the pieces of metal squealing under its grip until the rod is bent in half, the Astral Spark flaring and sputtering out. _Jesus._

Before she has time to recover, it twirls its spear once and strikes three times, the first cutting apart her right bracer, the second flying centimetres away from her face- she bites back a scream when her Legion protects her from the third, the edge of the spear breaking through their armour and swatting them down to the ground. Their core returns to her Legatus, body melting away.

Her back hits the wall. She leans to one side to avoid one set of claws. Her leg throbs and her knee buckles. Hector's spear whistles through the air.

' _Move!_ '

She winces and swings her only remaining bracer.

The tip of the blade sinks into her Legatus, the metal shrieking on both ends, and her Legion's core is sent flying through the air. She dives after it and away from the second stab, wrapping her fingers around the cube even as its twisting edges cut into her skin, and cradles it against her chest.

One of the golden chimeras jumps forward with its claws ready to strike. She rolls aside, away from-

She chokes on her breath. Her mouth pops open, rivulets of blood seeping through her teeth. Wha- she-

Hector's growl trickles through the ringing in her ears. Then the scrape of the blade between her ribs and against the ground as it pulls her up until her legs go limp under her. She tries to grab the spear, but her, her arm won't respond, she-

The gate swallows her whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Legion's guide to affection: just give her lots of pets.


	6. File 06 [Hermit]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One who retires from society and lives in solitude, especially for religious reasons; recluse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe I forgot to add my boy Kyle as one of the main characters in the tags.
> 
> Also, trigger warning for police brutality and some body horror.

## Edge

'To the attention of Kyle Merkulov, leader of the Holy Order of the Digital Hermit: your presence is requested for a meeting with officer PD011 Julian Sawaki and PD109 Dustin Fink at Containment Wall V. Respond at once, or we will be forced to employ more aggressive measures. Come alone.'

Cute. They think they're hot shit. He crouches at the edge of the roof of the penthouse, scanning the grounds below. Two riot officers, standard issue X-batons, enough armour under their uniforms to plate an entire tank, eight flesh limbs between them both, implant secured; no interface to hack in either. Enough heavy duty A/C units to hide around, especially this early when the sun can't get past the Wall. No way in hell these bastards came alone.

Four black helmets turn to him, and four of his dreadlocks activate in response.

' _Aleksei, get on the vent duct above 'em. Charles, Ed, you go around by the walkway, find their backups. Zag, keep that taser ready._ '

With a bunch of mumbles of confirmation, the three set off to their tasks, Aleksei clamberin' up the pipe onto the higher roof, while Charles and Ed drop down to the side to bypass the security fence. He claps Zag on the back and slips down onto the roof proper, struttin' over to the intruders.

Leftie straightens out when he approaches. “You can stop right there!”

He takes one last step forward, sneakers squeaking against the tiles, grins and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jacket, wrapping one hand 'round the shrunk up gunner drone, the other 'round the crumpled letter. Better be ready than sorry.

“You're Kyle Merkulov? Leader of the Hermits?”

Hey, hearing his name is fun, but how many times do they got to confirm it?

' _Right's got something in his back pocket, keep an eye on that one._ '

' _Got two backups in my sight,_ ' Ed responds.

' _Hah, knew they wouldn't come alone. Wait for my word._ '

"I might be, I might be!" Kyle shifts his feet into a wider stance and pulls out the ball of paper. “Ya know, it's rare for me to come all the way out here, especially to meet some cops, but having someone ask for me, personally, by name? Well, that makes a man curious. You even used paper, I feel privileged! But I can, or I _could_ , count the number of outsiders who know my last name on one hand, which means _someone's_ been a little _snitch._ ”

Leftie huffs. “Lose the mask. We're here to have a civil talk.”

A civil talk?! He throws his head back and laughs, pushing the holographic fangs into the biggest grin he can. “I dunno, puppy, would you lose all that padding?”

“Huh?”

“Listen, I wasn't born yesterday, ya hear? You come in here with your clothes spic and span, wearing your little helmets, packin' _heat_ , and I'm gettin' some doubts about how civil your talk really is!” He shakes his head and rolls back on his heels. “Ah, but good dogs don't bite, yeah? Now come on. What's your deal? Can't you leave a man to his kingdom of trash?”

Rightie puffs himself up. “Not when the man makes life hell for everyone outside!” He snarls. “Sneaking people and weapons through the Containment Wall, stealing materials from the police, hacking into bank accounts, not to mention the number of officers your little gang's put out of commission! It's time _someone_ did something.”

“And how many citizens have _you_ beaten up recently, puppy? How many bribes to bury your coworkers' little _problems_? Doesn't matter how many of us you take down if you never fix what created us.”

“You should keep your mouth shut instead of digging yourself a deeper hole," Leftie says, lookin' down his nose at him. "Under the authority of Director Yoseph Calvert, I'm putting you under arrest. I'm sure your lawyers can offer you a good plea deal, considering your connections.”

Kyle scoffs. “My lawyers?! Hah! Hey, you should give a shot at being a stand-up comedian, 'cuz that's a damn good joke! I might've been more receptive if you hadn't suddenly decided to care, assholes. When's the last time any of ya gave a shit about us? Last year, when we had to execute a dozen of us before they turned into aberrations? Ten years ago, when ya stopped sendin' us supplies? Or maybe twenty years ago, when you raised that wall and left us all to die here? I'm genuinely curious!”

"Enough of this!" With a hiss, Rightie reaches around his back and pulls out- fuck, is that a fuckin' revolver?! They still make this shit?! "Look here, no one's going to miss a couple of thugs. You Uppers need to learn to behave in normal society. Between you and me, I think you should get on your knees, hands on your head. _Lose the mask._ "

"Aight, aight, look, I'm puttin'...my hands...up." Kyle slowly raises his hands above his head. "I gotta ask, though. Aren't lethal weapons illegal?"

' _Boys, light 'em up. In the loudest way you can._ '

The dust grenades blow up behind the furthest A/C unit, the flash of light and dust accompanied by a loud bang and a buzz in the air- he drops low and dashes in when the shots go flying, bullets pingin' against bits of metal. There's a loud crunch, and Aleksei's already beating the gun and the bones out of Rightie's hand with his buster when he reaches Leftie and snaps his elbow into the cop's stomach, the armour cracking into pieces under his strike. The guy bends in half. He lifts his leg, drags Leftie's head down into his knee, then the whole man down to the ground to swing his foot into his ribs for good measure.

Ed throws an officer into the melee from the level above, jumpin' down the stairs after the guy to smash the butt of his own blaster into the officer's nose.

Kyle groans in sympathy. That's gotta hurt.

While Zag jumps down and walks over to help Aleksei restrain Rightie, Kyle crouches and pulls the groaning mess of a face at his feet back up by the hair. The officer coughs and glares at him. "Your normal seems kinda fucked up, ya know? Between you an' me, I think you should buzz off, puppy, and _never come back._ See how merciful I am? But I see your face around here again, and you're dead me-"

Blood and spit splatters against his helmet.

"I hope the gates eat you all alive," Leftie growls. "Good riddance, if you ask- guh!"

' _Grab the revolver and strip them of their padding._ ' He stands, sticks his hands back into his pockets. Charles jumps over onto the A/C unit and slides in to pick up the revolver with a grunt. ' _Then tie 'em up and get 'em back where they belong._ '

' _Aye aye, boss._ '

* * *

One short sword with a good power supply, closer to the X-baton in design, two busters from quality metal, four tasers, three gunner drones hot off the press, four cartons of explosives. He grins to himself, runnin' his gloves over the drones to check for any faults. With a great boom, the chimera swings down from the rafters, smooth green and yellow shell over red skin, horns taller than he is. Nice choice, Winston. He picks up the sword and twirls it between his fingers. Nice grip, easy to find his edge alignment. The chimera comes barrelin' at him. Maybe not the best tool for the job. He puts aside the sword in favour of the buster- ooh, nice weight, feels _powerful_. Even Central's helmets wouldn't stand up to a hit of that.

The air sings, and he swivels on his heel, smashin' curved tines out of his way with a screech of metal on whatever-chimeras-are-made-of. He drops the buster, rolls back on his heels and kicks off the ground, reaching 'round for his sword. A squeeze of the handle, and electricity flows down the blade in time for him to twist and hurl it down at the chimera, heat melting through its skin and current juicin' it up enough to shut down its muscles. He lands on its back, easily crouching below a grab by Butterfingers, then wraps his hand around his sword again, and he wrenches it up and out of the chimera's neck, rolling off to the ground as the beast howls.

He takes the buster back up. The chimera falls down before him, its limbs still twitchin', and he raises the hunk of metal over his head before smashin' the buster into the gorilla's head, again, and again, and again, until it slumps down even further, then explodes into particles.

Nice. Not even a dent in the metal.

The alarm blares as the security plating retreats back into the ceiling, Kent waitin' for him when the door opens.

"So? What do you think, leader?"

Kyle knocks his sneakers together, dumpin' the buster back on the table. For a man who can't see chimeras, he makes damn good weapons against 'em. "Ah, I knew I picked the right man for the job, Redfield! Everything's looking perfect. What about the revolver?"

"Well, it's old tech," Kent says, scratchin' the back of his neck. "I don't think I can do anything with it except turn it to scrap metal."

"Eh, good enough. I don't want that shit on my streets."

Kent nods as they both step into the elevator. "The X-baton you brought back is fascinating, though! I knew the UNION was doing weird things with its weapons, what with the whole shape shifting and all, but they're not even using standard energy rounds for their blasters! They have these weird metal spheres in the handle I can't crack open, but, from what I can see, it's like they're just shooting air!"

"Whatever they're using, it burns like hell." Kyle rubs his shoulder. The blisters stayed for weeks.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to keep looking into it to find a way to stop that," Kent mutters. The elevator doors open to the tunnel exit, and Kyle leads the way past the holographic wall, out of the little nook to the highway.

"Alright, well, get back to me when you figure that out, yeah? Thanks for your service again, Redfield!" He claps the man on the shoulder. "Payment's already on your cashchip."

Kent gives him a mock salute. "Pleasure to be doing business with ya, leader!"

His engineer disappears through the holographic wall, the image shaking with distorted pops. He turns back once it settles down, headin' up the stairs. It's getting close to 6, huh. He jogs up to the third floor, just in time to catch the sun as it finally rotates enough to sneak past the layers of the Ark above them and glint off the Wall, metal turning yellow and orange, then through the bay windows of the PC room, light comin' through the blinds and turnin' the room a soft red.

He hops onto the couch, stretchin' out into the sun, hefting his feet over the arm rest, and bringin' up the monitoring system with a tweak of his implant. A few cameras have been taken down, but they still have feed from most of the major parts of the Ark. Man, how do they _live_ like that? Constantly watched by the police for the tiniest hints of crime, workin' day in and day out, graded on their social performance until it dominates every single aspect of their lives. The Council really made suckers out of all of 'em.

On Monitor 30, the wind gently flows through the tower's roof, makin' the wide leaves of the bean plant sway gently from side to side, the chickens cluckin', one of the rabbits honking. Lucky critters, not having to worry 'bout redshift this far up. Monitor 72 flickers, and Dimitri pulls aside cables to fix it up.

Above the roof, dark clouds gather way away on the horizon. A big storm's brewin'. Maybe he can settle down and finally watch My Neighbour's A Hitman...

"We got eggs!"

He rolls his head as Winston comes in with his hands held up triumphantly, two little brown ovals in his palms, Mike walkin' in behind him with little bags of herbs, a basket of beans and peas and garlic, and a trash bag bulging with rice. Well, it's not rabbit, but at least it won't be plain congee for dinner again.

Kyle closes his eyes and sinks deeper into the cushions. "Going out for distribution?"

Mike hums. "You comin' with."

"Nah, they'll think-" The trash bag hits him in the stomach with the force of a dump truck. He wheezes and curls around it. "The fuck."

"Wasn't a question," Mike says. Kyle stands with a scowl. "What else you gonna do? Watch romcoms on repeat like a goddamn weirdo? Come on."

"Hey, _I'm_ the boss 'round here!"

"And I'm your elder, you little shit," Mike retorts. "We're taking a walk. Dimitri can keep an eye on things around here."

Dimitri gives a thumbs-up over his shoulder. Fuckin' hell.

The guards must've their jaws dropped to the ground behind their face masks when he steps out of the elevator, but any comment they want to make gets shut down when he taps his fingers against his sword. This shit is gonna give him a headache. He drags his feet enough to let Mike overtake him. Luggin' around the rice bag is one thing, he ain't gonna willingly deal with people who think he's some kind of savage 'cuz he's not a huge softie like Clark. If they don't like his leadership style, they can just buzz off into the red zone or go live in Sector VI, his ass won't complain.

Eyes dig into the back of his head as he wanders down the alley from the old highway. When's the last time he's made his way through here? Garbage and junk pile up on every corner, too many people to be stuck in a few kilometres of space with nothin' to survive but what they get to steal and scam from misery tourists, hiding away in smaller and smaller spaces from the chimeras, in huts of metal sheets living alongside homes made out of shipping containers for food they've exhausted years ago. What's the new specialty 'round here? Congee, congee or congee?

Mike punches him on the shoulder. "Ya know, maybe having your helmet synced up to your feelings was a bad idea. You're gonna scare everyone off with your face stuck like that, boyo."

"Lookin' happy ain't my job, old timer. I'm not gonna get _complacent_ about how fucked up our conditions are."

"Aye, but that's why we gotta keep spirits up. You should get out more often. And I don't mean sneakin' around the old maintenance walkways, Kyle."

He narrows his eyes. "Why? Everyone hates my guts."

"Well, maybe they won't if they see you ain't just a violent tyrant."

They climb the stairs up to the marketplace, dodgin' racks of coats and old TVs.

' _Speakin' of tyrants. What'd the piggies want with us?_ '

He glances at Mike. ' _Now you ask? They found out my name._ '

' _Aw, now ya can't go buy the latest movie catalogue._ '

' _Old timer, I'm gonna kick your ass. They said they were there on authority of Yoseph Calvert._ '

Mike stops and turns to him. ' _Calvert? Director of the Ark, one of the highest seats in the UNION? They know about Blue Evolve?_ '

' _Hell if I know. Gonna have to get in contact with Douglas._ '

"Hey, if it isn't ol' mister Boston!" One of the sellers shouts about halfway through the marketplace. 'Upper Congee,' says the bright purple sign hangin' on the side of the hut.

"And if it isn't mister miracle Feglein," Mike drawls in response. He reaches back to snap open the clamps on his helmet, pullin' it off completely and shakin' out his greying braids.

The guy laughs, knockin' his metal ladle against the edge of the barrel attached to the boiler in the far corner. Rice slowly bubbles inside, the sickly sweet smell of glue strong enough that he has to turn on his filter, and Kyle turns his head away when the guy looks at him. "And who's this? That my rice, buddy?"

"The name's Kyle." He drops the bag down.

"He's our new leader," Mike pipes up, takin' a deep breath of starch steam. Maybe old age kills the taste buds.

"Woah, delivered by the leader of the Hermits himself?" The congee guy says, patting down the bag. "Thought you'd be above this kind of work."

Kyle scowls. "I got dragged into it. Don't expect this often."

"Ah, well, since you're here, you won't mind if I ask you a little favour then, leader?" Feglein's fabric mask deforms into a smile.

"The hell do I look like, your errand boy?"

"No, my errand boy's prettier." Urgh.

Mike digs his elbow into his ribs. "Come on, can't hurt to be helpful once in a while." _Urgh._

"Fine, but it'd better be interesting."

"Ah, knew you were a good guy deep inside!" Feglein steps into his hut for a minute and comes back out with a dozen black bottles that he proceeds to fill with congee. "Well, y'see, I recently got wind that there's a bunch of people taking refuge out close to Sector VI, people who opposed the Hermits' intervention even when Hal was still around. And, well, I don't think they're bad people, so I'd feel bad not feeding them when I can, but I've heard there's a lot of redshift that way. You guys know how to take care of that, yeah?"

Wait up. Kyle leans in. " _What?_ When did you hear that?"

"Huh?" Feglein tops up the next to last bottle. "The redshift? I dunno, last week?"

What the _fuck._ Kyle clenches his fists. "Hey, maybe it'd be nice if I fucking knew there's aberrations running on our border!"

"See, this is why I wanted you to get out," Mike says. "We can't have our eyes everywhere."

Feglein lifts his ladle defensively. "Woah, woah, I said there was redshift, that doesn't mean-"

Kyle hisses and grabs the twelve-pack from Feglein's hands as soon as he finishes screwin' shut the last bottle. Then he spins on his heel and jumps over the stairs down into the alley, backtracking to the highway. They've already got so little space, fuck, the last thing they need is another outbreak, and the last thing he needs is to learn about it from the goddamn _congee guy!_

He skips the ladder, droppin' straight down to the walkway below before he pings Aleksei. The metal dreadlocks vibrate in response, his helmet shaking 'round his head.

' _Boss?_ '

' _Get Alex and Claude and haul ass over to Sector VI. Redshift problem._ '

' _Aw, shit, I was just 'bout to eat. Do I gotta drag Z over too?_ '

' _Might as well._ ' Mike lands behind him.

"You really gonna make an old man walk all the way out there?"

"I'll drag ya there by your feet if I got to, old timer."

* * *

## Devour

The sliding door groans on its tracks as he forces it open, flakes of rust falling 'round him. He peeks in. Empty. That ain't right. On one hand, no one and nothing tried to get past their makeshift border, on the other, _no one and nothing tried to get past_. Where the hell are the people? Not even aberrations? He slowly slips through the gap in the door, makin' his way 'round all the shit left to rot and the maggots crawlin' and squirmin' about the floor. Fucking miracle his filter can keep out the smell of this dump.

He glances back at the sound of a door squeaking open, Mike pokin' his head into the little cabin.

' _No one's here._ '

Kyle scowls. ' _I'm feelin' like the white guy in a horror movie._ '

' _Heading straight into possible mortal danger? Thought you'd be thrilled._ '

 _'I like it better when they come screamin' at us._ '

They climb up the stairs to the communal area, putting down the least weight they can to avoid creaking metal. He steps over piles of metal pieces stacked on tarps and slowly shifts metal plates back between the buildings where they belong. A couple more empty shelters, discarded dishes, there's even fire still burnin' in the barrels. Shit.

' _Hey._ ' He freezes and turns as Aleksei comes up crawlin' on all fours, Alex, Claude and Zag followin' close behind, all of 'em tryin' to stop any loud noises even with busters and explosives strapped to their bodies. Good. ' _Place is creepy as hell when it's empty. What's the sitch?_ '

He grunts. ' _Best case scenario, everyone decided to take a hike. Worst case scenario, we got twenty plus aberrations creeping 'round._ '

' _Maybe they all threw themselves off,_ ' Aleksei offers. ' _I'd bash my own skull in before I'd let myself turn into one of those things._ '

' _We have Blue Evolve,_ ' Claude states.

' _I'm just saying._ '

Kyle pulls himself up the ladder. More trash bags in the rooftop access, a lone Vendor-3 standin' in the corner beside empty shelves gatherin' dust. The rumble of thunder covers up the sound of boots clanging against metal behind him, rain thumpin' against his helmet as they file out of the little building. There's nobody home, but he pulls open the door of the nearby hut anyway.

' _Uh. Boss?_ '

He turns to Zag and- he stops when the glare of the yellow lamp glances off...blood. That's a shitload of blood, pools of it splashed all over the roof by the rain and whatever kind of weapon maimed someone that bad, leaving streaks of black to dissolve in the rain.

' _Well, that's at least one dead person,_ ' Alex whispers.

More of it trails off along the walkway, thrown over the walls of the run-down building, all the way to the higher rooftop where the marks turn to footprints slowly being washed away. The wind blows a small metal plate to the ground.

They jump back down to the lower buildings from a stack of containers, finally reaching Sector VI proper, or what remains of it. The blood stops close to the shelter tower.

He walks down the metal plate into the building with his hand already wrapped around the handle of his sword, past the corner and over rubble. The lights inside flicker on and off, half of 'em busted to hell and scattered over the tiles.

Claude peeks into each of the rooms. ' _Empty._ '

The elevator's still active, but there's no way in hell he's gonna step in a metal box where aberrations can ambush them. He jerks his head toward the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Empty hallway, empty hallway, more empty hallways. Oh, nice, this floor's completely dark. He sticks his hand to the wall and walks onward 'round corners and past storage rooms, following the red holographic signs toward the exit into the pla-

' _Oh shit, back, back!_ '

He slams his back against the wall and waves his hand until all of the boys stick themselves to the furthest corner, mostly hidden in the dark. Fuck. Holy fuck.

Two dozen aberrations creep across the plaza, hands twisted into claws and bows and swords and shields and stumps of grey flesh. At least none of 'em noticed they have visitors.

' _I think we found the people of Sector VI,_ ' Mike growls.

' _What were the people of Sector VI,_ ' Aleksei bites back, one of the aberrations leanin' back to release a wet howl, the others following suit. ' _These things ain't human anymore._ '

' _No better than chimeras,_ ' Claude adds.

Mike huffs. ' _Sorry I still have a heart, kids._ '

Zag shifts closer to the edge of the shadows and stretches his neck to try and get a better view. ' _Why're they all here?_ '

' _If I had to take a guess..._ ' Mike hums. ' _Chimera attacked them near the border and lured them toward the shelter to pen them in, then it just let redshift do its thing. That's why there was only blood up to the tower. No need to put in more effort than necessary._ '

Damn. Claude grunts. ' _S'pretty smart. Thought chimeras weren't smart._ '

' _They've all been kinda weird lately,_ ' Aleksei mutters.

Kyle lifts his hand to stop 'em and shakes his head. ' _Let's just put 'em out of their misery for now, yeah?_ '

They all nod. He sets off his gunner drone and pulls his sword off its magnets.

His first strike cuts through three trunks from hip to shoulder. Crystals blast away from the force of his own thunder and bring the attention of just about every aberration on him, red dots fixed for the split second necessary for Aleksei to roll in swingin' and snarlin', takin' out four in a single spin. He backs up as Claude sends one aberration flyin' away with a punch, and buries his sword in a mangled aberration left lying on the ground. His drone fires a volley of energy rounds into its face.

Mike's war cry booms louder than the thunder, accompanied by the sounds of skulls crackin' and bodies being thrown about and Zag finishin' 'em up. One grenade arcs through the air, striking an aberration in the face before it explodes in the crowd, too many pieces flyin' off to know how many victims it makes.

Goosebumps make all of his hair stand on end.

' _Boss, get back!_ '

He looks up. A loud buzz bursts through his helmet, and he barely has time to lift his sword to stop purple claws from tearing open his jacket. He grits his teeth, pushin' up against his blade to knock away his attacker.

The gate lights up the chimera's big spikes, and the gem in its chest lights up its teeth, bleedin' red from its entire face.

Three more fall snarlin' from the gate up high. Aw shit.

He drops and rolls away from a grab, slicin' up through gold armour as he comes back to his feet.

"I wasn't expecting a gate when I came up here!" Alex shouts, pickin' up an aberration by its hoodie to fling it at one of the chimeras and runnin' the both of them through with his sword. He pulls back, twirls around and slashes the pair in half.

"Little exercise never hurt nobody!" Kyle grins and backflips over a swipe, already crushing his sword's handle and spreadin' his legs for a spin before his soles even touch the floor, and the two remaining chimeras turn to dust under his strike- three chimeras? Oh, son of a mother, they're still pourin' out! Four, five, six! "Damn, now _that's_ an invasion force!"

Aleksei cleaves through one, and Kyle kicks another away from him- and jumps way, waaaaaay away when a sort of blue-brown object is thrown out the gate toward him, spraying some kind of dark red- is that blood?- liquid everywhere, while a real monster of a chimera comes crawlin' out, the skull it has for a head drippin' with- ah hell, that _is_ blood. Red weeps from every little hole the rain can seep in, the white bone dyed pink, black armour turning rust red. The spear it holds drops chunks of flesh on the ground.

He glances behind him. Shit. Is that supposed to be a human?

' _Uh, her wriggly bits are supposed to stay inside her body, yeah?_ ' Zag whimpers.

The chimera howls and Kyle smacks aside a stab, backin' away when it starts to spin its spear. "Leave the dead girl!" The gurgling of the aberrations quiets down as the last few get offed by his drone, only to be replaced by excited squeals from the smaller chimeras that gather 'round the big guy. Since when do chimeras get _excited?_

Alex strikes out with his sword, but one of the small chimeras intercepts the blade, grabbing his arm with its free hand- the other chimera chargin' at him gets a faceful of bullets while Kyle blocks an overhead strike from the black one that pushes him back a step. "Jesus! Got a tough one here!"

Something sticks in his throat. The air beats his shoulders.

Shrieks pierce the air.

"Wha- holy shit, you- you still alive?! Wha-" Zag's voice gets buried under the screeching.

He gets crushed to his knees. What the fuck. What. Even the chimeras struggle, shifting in place, turnin' toward- the girl. He swings himself toward Zag-

Bones _crack_ and _snap_ , ribs piercing through skin that flakes off and falls to dust, arms reachin' up through the blue energy flarin' up in streams of particles 'round the...the girl, her blood sizzling, bubbling and poppin' off of her, her mouth open as she screams and screams and _screams_.

The chimeras step back.

Light explodes through the dark.

And with a roar of rage and hatred and madness, a _beast_ comes chargin' at them out of it, blue stone claws carvin' a path clean through the small chimeras to punch a hole into the big guy's chest, pullin' out a handful of crystals before it uppercuts it into the air. Its body dissolves into some kind of blue helix of light that follows after the chimera, reformin' only to smash it back into the ground with enough force to make it bounce. The monster wails and stomps its skinny legs on the chimera as it lands, blue tentacle hair flailin' wildly when it throws its head back and fuckin' _unhinges_ its jaw wide open. His heart jumps in his throat when teeth sink into the chimera's arm with a loud crack, holdin' it in place while the other _thing_ bashes its head in with its fists, cavin' in the skull around the eye sockets. Its claws lop off the arm and throw it aside.

He drags himself back toward the exit. What the _fuck_ is this thing. It takes bites out of the chimera, flesh crunchin' in its mouth, its prey already lying limp on the ground when it bends backward, holdin' a weird twisting cube between its teeth that it cracks and swallows.

The chimera falls to pieces beneath it.

Blue lights turn to stare at him. He stops moving, stops breathing. Oh fuck. Cracks spread out up the beast's forehead, black and white armour wrapped 'round its arms and legs, NEURON scrawled up its forearm, a blue and black cube spinnin' in the hole in its chest- is this thing _a chimera too?_ It hisses and grunts and raises its hand, the gate above it whinin' until it shatters into pieces. Then the beast steps toward him.

He scuttles backward while Aleksei sneaks up behind it and raises his buster up high.

"Wait, don't attack her!"

Aleksei tenses up, Zagir runnin' up to the creature with a hand held out. He's trainin' a bunch of _idiots_.

"Her?" Aleksei growls. "That thing's a monster!"

"She helped us!" Zag counters.

"It didn't _help_ us, it just attacked like an animal!"

"But-"

Its claws splinter the concrete. It curls into itself, its shoulders shakin'. "A...ka...ne..."

The blue lines through its skin get brighter and brighter, until his helmet's sensors have to shutdown and reset. When his vision comes back, a pale little girl stumbles out of the light in a destroyed police uniform, fallin' down to her knees after a single step, into Zag's arms before she can tip over face first in a pool of rain and her own blood. Blue light fades from her skin into a bright spot in the centre of her chest from which the cube pops out, droppin' to the ground with a click. Zag reaches for it too, but it jumps away from him and snaps into a hover above the girl's arm.

Kyle narrows his eyes. Goddamn UNION _freaks_.

* * *

## Identity

“Uh, boss, what the hell?”

“Shut up, idiot,” Boris mutters, pullin' aside the fencing, the metal bars scrappin' against the ground.

He flips his pass back into his sleeve, rolls his shoulders and sets his back straight, and struts into the neon streets of his home. A few randos clear the path with disgust thrown at him. What's the point in tryin' to explain they didn't do shit to the girl?

“She weighs nuffin',” Zag remarks, shiftin' his grip on the officer sprawled against his back. “Think she's human?”

“Humans don't recover from having their fucking guts spilled across the ground,” Aleksei grumbles. “Should have just killed her.”

“She kinda cute, though,” Alex says.

Aleksei huffs.

Feglein looks up as they pass through, his eyes growing wide as beads when he locks them on the girl. Fuck. Kyle unties the twelve-pack of congee from his jacket and slams it down on the nearest table. Feglein blinks at him.

"They won't need it anymore."

"I...you mean- they're all..."

The TRPLE HORN tower eats up the sun once they're out of the streets proper, lightin' up the tracks in red. The guards wisely keep their mouths shut and open up their ranks into the tunnel, and the whole lot of 'em climb into the crashed subway car, movin' through ruined seating to the other side and poppin' through the holographic wall to the elevator. He punches the call button. This thing's gonna fall apart any day now.

He reaches back and loosens his helmet slightly as the elevator rumbles its way up.

Fuck, his jacket's gonna need some deep cleaning. His whole goddamn outfit- is it blood or rain that squishes between his toes?

Eleven heads turn to him as he walks through the holographic wall into the PC room, then turn to Zag behind him. Martin, Denis, Feodor, Ellis, Rufus, Jake, Yosh, Mark, Dimitri, Hisa, Winston. Good, all accounted for. He glances at Zag and jerks his head toward the couch before he pulls up a chair and lets himself slump into it with a sigh. Zag slowly gets the girl down onto the leather cushions, her white hair spilling over the arm rest. A few of the boys hesitantly get up to crowd the couch.

He stares at the girl too. White hair, skin more pale than a canvas, a cop uniform torn apart, dirtied and bloodied. What the hell did Central cook up this time? He breaks his way into the UNION database, setting his bot off to filter out police officers from youngest to oldest. How old is she? Eighteen, nineteen? There's no way she's older than him. He lowers the max search age to 25. Fuck, is she even going to be in any kind of database? Keeping any permanent data on fucked up experiments is stupid, and there's no way she was _born_ this way, yeah?

"Er, who is she?" Jake asks in a little voice. "Are we taking hostages now?"

Kyle scowls. “She ain't an hostage.”

“She's some kind of fucking monster,” Aleksei growls, pointing to the huge hole in her clothes, blood still glistenin' on her bare stomach. Shit, never mind, he's gonna get a headache dealing with _this_. “Chimera threw her out the gate with her organs blown to bits and look at her now!”

“She made short work of that chimera, though,” Alex adds. “Transformed into a big beast and just tore it apart with her claws like it was made of paper!”

Kyle rolls his eyes when he and Zag are the only ones to not shy away from the girl. “She ain't gonna maul you, she's out like a light! Besides, she didn't even try to attack us.”

“Okay, okay, rewind,” Winston interrupts. “The gate?”

"Up in the shelter in Sector VI. She crushed it to pieces." Kyle leans forward and rest his arms on his knees when Winston gasps. “The entire sector's gone. Over a dozen aberrations, a few weaklings, then one strong chimera shows up, throws this girl right at us, barely avoided getting a faceful of intestines. Then turns out she ain't dead! Went berserk on the thing, like Alex said. But she just collapsed after that, and it's like she's never been hurt.”

Dimitri hums. “Is she a cop?”

“S'what I'm trying to find out, nerd.”

“She, uh, she said 'Akane' before she passed out, I think,” Zag mumbles. “S'a name, innit?”

Akane. He taps his fingers against the seat of his chair, sortin' out all the officers named Akane from the pile of IDs his bot spits out. Akane Ando, Akane Agnihotri, Akane Howard- got it. Her hair's brown, but the face is just right. Same almond eyes, same thin lips, same eyebrows mechanically set into a frown. "Hah, bingo, it's a name alright. UEY003216, Akane Howard, born November 25, 2058, 170 centimetres, 55 kilograms, blood type A. Graduated from the police academy in April, this year. Apparently she got hired right after, then went to criminal, and...that's it."

"What'd you mean, that's it?" Winston says. "What, she ghosted the UNION or sumthin'?"

"Hell if I know, I'm just reading from her ID trail. She's obviously not a normal officer, maybe whatever happened to her after that is just kept off the records."

"If the UNION is experimenting on people, you're not gonna find that in a database," Dimitri mutters. "What about her past records?"

"Lots of lab reports on redshift testing. Guess daddy and mommy had the moolah to keep their girl safe."

Zag shuffles his feet. "2058...she just 20? Wait, no...November, so she 19. Hang on, ain't that when the Pandemic happened?"

"Yeah, so?" Aleksei drawls. "Plenty of people were born on that day. S'not because everyone here was dying that people stopped popping out babies!"

"She wouldn't happen to be related to a Maximilian?"

Kyle looks over to Mike. Maximilian, Howard, probably. Her birth certificate pops up. "Huh. Yeah, adopted by Maximilian Howard in 2058. You know the guy?"

"I do," Mike says. "I ran into him during the Pandemic. He was in the disaster response unit. Check his activity records on that day."

Kyle frowns and pulls up Howard Senior's files. UDK001038, born March 28, 2030, 199 centimetres, 94 kilograms, blood type B, ooooh, big guy, dayum. Joined the police in 2053, transferred to the DRU two years later 'cuz he couldn't follow orders, hah! "Sent into Zone 09 with his unit during the Pandemic...only survivor. Extracted 24 hours later with twin babies from an unnamed redshifting mother." He groans. "Ah fucking hell. That's what the reports are for."

"Twins?" Zag gasps. "Who's the other baby?"

"UBF005329, Akira Howard," Dimitri replies. "Huh. His records are the same as hers. Graduated in April, got hired, and then he just disappears off the face of the earth."

"Shit, you mean there's another one of those?!" Aleksei snaps, pointing a finger at the girl.. "What the hell is she?! She ain't human! Central's trying to create monsters now?!"

Kyle snorts. "Pretty sure the only one who can tell us is passed out on our couch there."

They all look down to the girl. Her breath hitches, fingers twitching and curling inward. Almost looks peaceful.

Ellis sniffs. "You said she was thrown out the gate...so Central's going straight into chimera territory, now. Makes me wonder how much more the UNION knows about all this than us."

"I wish I'd been there to see that chimera ripped to bits," Winston sighs. "You think she'd want to fight with us?"

"Hey, what's that cube about, anyway?" Feodor asks, reaching down to touch the cube. He pulls his hand back with a yelp, blood wellin' up from the tip of his finger. "Ow! The hell?"

Kyle groans and slaps a hand to his forehead. "Maybe don't touch shit you don't know nothin' about!"

"Ain't that the scientific process, Mark?!"

"Don't make a joke of my work, idiot!"

A few minutes pass in silence. "So...what do we do about her, boss?"

He looks up to the pile of fabric curled up at the top of the crates, the giant holographic eye of Yosh's helmet peekin' out the dark corner away from the bay windows, then back down to the girl- Howard. If they could get that power she used...man, Central would _pay_. "Well, we already got her here! Might as well wait for her to wake up, yeah? I bet we've all got a few questions for her anyway."

"I'll get her a blanket." Yosh drags himself away from his corner and slips down to the ground with a thump.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Aleksei yells. "A blanket?! Get some fucking chains to tie her up and throw her in the fucking vault!"

Kyle extends his leg to kick him in the shin. "Hey, hey, now, that's no way to treat a guest. Go take a breather, ya maniac."

"Urgh!" Aleksei stomps his way out of the room.

Howard brings her leg up and shifts onto her side.

* * *

## Guardian

The line rings a waiting tone, beeeeeep beeeep beeeeeep. He knocks his sneakers against the bottom of Howard's boots, tilting his chair back and forth. She doesn't even react, even as the chimera's- gotta be a chimera- cube hovers over her and releases arcs of blue electricity. She doesn't snore, she doesn't talk, it's been sixteen hours already, what the hell are they supposed to do with a comatose cop? She wakes up here without supervision and he's gonna find himself with rubble for a base.

"He-hello?"

He rolls his shoulders and slides further into his chair. "Yo, Douglas."

"Who...is this?" Douglas whimpers.

"It's Kyle! Your best customer!"

"Oh. Hi. Uh, is there a problem? I've already delivered this week's dosage. It's just one vial per day, per person, you know?"

They might have one hell of a problem. "We're still fine with the Blue Evolve. Wouldn't want to go against the doctor's orders, yeah? But...anythin' change on your side recently?"

"Change? No...at least, nothing to do with our, ah, deal. Production is still ongoing."

"That so? Nothin' about us slipped out or anythin'?" He taps his fingers against his arm. "Maybe you had curious little friends?"

"Um, I don't know what you're talking about, Kyle," Douglas says. "Of course I haven't told anyone! I could lose my _job_ if anyone knew about this. Why would you even ask? Did. Did something happen?"

Howard's leg jumps in her sleep, her heel slammin' into the sole of his sneaker. "Got a letter from Central this morning, demandin' I go to meet some cops who were, ah, definitely not happy to see me. And the weirdest part was that they knew my name! My full name. Ya know, the thing I don't give out so the UNION doesn't try to dig their dirty fingers into my business."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh.' But, hey, if you tell me it ain't you, it ain't you."

"I swear it wasn't me. All I want is to help people."

He laughs. "You're a good man, Douglas. Well, that's all I wanted to ask! I'll see ya next week, then?"

"Yes, next week. I hope nothing bad happens to you, Kyle, and that you find who did this. Erm. Goodbye now."

He sighs, shuts the channel down and deletes the frequency from his connections, resting his chin in his palm. Dammit. Who else would've fed Central his info? Clarke disappeared off the face of the planet, and Mike's Mike.

His own frequency lights up. "Boss, sir?"

He raises an eyebrow. When's the last time the guards bothered to talk directly to him? "Yeah?"

"Uh, there's a lass, uh, woman! Here. Who wants to meet you."

"At this hour? It's eleven in the evening! What does she _want?_ "

There's a bit of a shuffle and shoutin'. These idiots don't know how to operate radios. "She says she's here for the...girl?"

Well. Huh. He stands and glances at Howard. Still sleepin'. A cop wouldn't come this far in. "She armed?"

"Not that I can see, sir."

"Okay. Well, let her up. I'll deal with her myself."

He walks over to the elevator and parks himself in front of it. The rumble of the metal box through the elevator shaft echoes in the empty hallway, lulling him into a half-sleep state. What kinda person would take a trip all the way to Zone 09 at eleven in the evening? How'd she even know the girl's here?

His eyes pop back open just as the doors do.

He takes a step back. Her blue eyes pierce through him. Ah. A scientist. Welp. He should've expected someone dangerous considerin' the situation. Goddamn, they're the only bright thing about her, though. Years ago, he bet that coat might've been white, before she rolled herself in the mud or whatever, and maybe those thigh highs were sold in a store and not fished out of the trash can. Doesn't she know they have running water? The only good thing the UNION ever did for Zone 09, leave the hot water.

He smiles his best smile. "Hi. I'm Kyle. I'm the leader of this little charitable organization."

"Where is she?" The woman drawls.

"Ah, no nonsense, down to business, I like it. Well, she's takin' a nap now, you-"

"Where. Is. She."

Jeez. He leans back, then slowly turns to walk back through the wall, the woman's heels clackin' against the floor behind him. One of Howard's arms dangles off his couch. He sits back down in his chair, moving his sword right beside him in plain view.

The woman stops as soon as she sees Howard, her eyes widenin' the slightest bit, flitting over the other girl before she finishes walkin' over. Something about Howard's left arm bothers her a lot. The chimera's cube seems to relax in her presence, returning to a lazy hover above its owner, and she kneels beside the couch and raises her arm to push aside Howard's bangs and rest her hand on her forehead, whispering something he can't catch. Didn't know he could be an intruder in his own home. Her whole face softens and she sighs. "What happened?"

He leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I'd tell you, but what're you ready to offer up for it?"

She glances at him from the corner of her eye. "Is that how it works around here?"

"Tit for tat. Look, I'm guessin' you know more than me about this. The only currency we got around here is information. So, how about a name first?"

"UDK000121, Jena Anderson," she gives without hesitation. "Former ARI researcher. You can look me up in the UNION's database. Is that enough?"

He laughs. So she knows what kind of person he is. "From the institute, huh? More than enough. Howard got thrown out of a gate by a chimera that tore up her stomach. Ah, you know what a chimera is, yeah?" She gives him a deadpan look. "Well, that little cube there got inside of her and transformed her into a huge monster. Let's say the other chimeras aren't a problem anymore."

"She's not a chimera."

"But that cube belongs to one, doesn't it?"

Jena hides her face behind a curtain of blonde hair. "It is a core of what was formerly a chimera. Who is-"

"Ah, ah, ah. My turn." She glares at him. He grins. "So it does belong to a chimera. Then what does that make her? Some freaky experiment of yours?"

"No, not mine. She is one of the subjects of a program led by Yoseph Calvert," she spits out the name. "In this situation...I wouldn't be able to tell you what she is anymore. Something beyond human and chimera."

"Ya know, that's the second time I've heard his name today and that's the second time I'm worried 'bout my safety."

"You should be." She stands back up and turns to him. "But not because of her. She did not hurt any of you, did she?"

"Eh. Guess not."

"Then she has enough control to remember who she is, even in such a state. Who is aware of her nature?"

He tilts his head to the side. "Just me and the boys here. Anyone else who got a look at her probably just thought we beat up and kidnapped a cop for fun. Which, ah, I might end up doing, but not now. Does make me wonder how you even found her, being an outsider an' all. Maternal instinct?"

"I am not her mother," Jena states, even as she pushes a strand of hair back behind Howard's ear. "I simply pity the poor girl her circumstances. As for how I found her...I was in the area, and she has...a very unique biosignal."

"She ain't human."

"If that's how you wish to see it." She sighs and shakes her head. "I suggest you to be a little more tactful with her once she wakes up."

He blinks. "You ain't takin' her back?"

"To where? She's safer here for the moment, away from _his_ grasp." Jena huffs. "You seem like enough of a respectable individual to not assault a sleeping girl." Thanks for the vote of confidence, chief.

" _His_ grasp, huh? You really got a bone to pick with our oh so great Director, huh."

The temperature drops straight to winter cold. "He deserves far more than scorn," she growls, then she spins and heads for the exit. "But I won't involve you in these matters. You have your own fight to fight."

"Leavin' already?"

She stops and throws him a look over her shoulder before she steps through the holographic wall. "I have learned what I needed. But a little suggestion before I go, _Kyle_. You should stop taking Blue Evolve before it's too late. It's not the blessing you think it is."

"Wha-" And she just leaves. The hell? Too late for what?

He scowls and slumps back in his chair. UDK000121, Jena Anderson, born November 7, 2023, 168 centimetres...51 kilo...grams...2023? She's _54?!_

Goddamn UNION _freaks._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was one of the hardest to write. Kyle and the Hermits barely have any characterization in-game, so I had to come up with personalities for each of them based on their activities and the few lines we get from them that aren't 'Blue Evolve is so cool.' Zone 09 is also barely explored, Sector V even more so. I figured in-game you have to pay for stuff because the Uppers know how to identify an outsider, so they know you have money, but otherwise, I built Sector V to be more like a commune, based on how autonomous zones actually work in real life.


	7. File 07 [Descent]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An act of moving downwards, dropping or falling; a moral, social or psychological decline.

## Offer

' _A-ki-_ '

"Shut up."

He takes a...step...? No. No, he twists his torso and propels himself backward, beats the plates of his skirt to stop once he's out of reach of the chimera's claws, then he raises one arm, twisting the crossbow around his claws to shoot one-two-three-four bolts straight through its head, while the other arm grasps its core and yanks it out, the pieces already breaking apart in his grasp. He dismisses his crossbow, then opens his hand to hold the chimera in place until a wheezing breath escapes between its teeth, the last of the second batch falling to its knees, its chest folding in as it shatters into specks of red. He breathes in deep and exchanges floating armour for leather boots once the red matter settles down around him.

"Nice work, Akira! Seems like you've really gotten the hang of your Legion."

Olive's voice gets him to open _his_ eyes, air returning to his lungs. Black and red burst in his vision, then blues and purples and greens in the shadows of the Astral Plane, twisting around the arms of the gate behind him. He reaches for his radio and flicks it on. "Thanks, Olive. I'm getting out now."

"The helicopter is already waiting for you."

He hums and closes his hand around the Astral Chain to pull his Legion back to him. The creature growls, anger spat out at him through the link. He sends it through the gate with a flick of his wrist, waiting for the tug on the links before he jumps in himself, flying past cubes and pillars until the pressure eases up and he pops out of the gate into Zone 27, his heels skittering across the concrete to a halt.

The helicopter hovers on standby above him, the sound of the airflow shaping waves of light no humans were meant to see that ripple across his uniform, pulsing against his brain, and he groans and dismisses his Legion before grabbing onto the lowered rope.

"The commander came back while you were on patrol," Olive pipes up as he settles down in his seat. "He asked to see you in his office when you get back."

"The commander has an office?" Is that what they're calling the command centre now?

Olive hums. "Thirteenth floor, sixth door on the right. It has his name on it."

"Huh. He has an actual office."

She chuckles. "Yeah, not a lot of people know about it, considering he spends most of his time in the command centre. Apparently it's not his favourite place."

"Alright. Tell him I'll be there in fifteen minutes." He stretches out his spine until his bones click back together, biting back a yawn.

"Oh, he also said that you should change out into your civvies. But keep your Legatus."

"Plainclothes, huh. Got it."

* * *

He jams his thumb into the button for the thirteenth floor and fits himself into the corner of the elevator. A few regular officers step in and out on his way up, no one paying him attention, and no one gets off on the thirteenth other than him, the hallway echoing with the sound of his boots. Sixth door on his right. 'Yoseph Calvert' is engraved into the golden plaque between the upper and lower panels of the door.

He gently knocks on the wood once, then twice more with a bit more force.

"Come in, Akira."

He takes a deep breath and turns the knob, slipping in and closing the door behind him.

Wow. He has to stop and take in the room. Wooden boards all around the edges of the light beige walls, a wood shelf unit on the right where several golden awards stand, plants with large, broad leaves in the opposite corner, alongside a large glass box on wheels. A solid wood desk takes up the centre of the room, behind which the commander sits in a leather chair, head haloed by a half-circle of degrees and distinctions on the furthest wall and lit up by the sunlight spilling through the recessed windows and by the blue glow of three different monitors. He raises a hand and pivots the holograms to his side with a swipe as Akira carefully walks over, making sure not to track dirt across the vibrant reds and golds of the carpet.

"It's rather opulent, isn't it?"

He blinks and rubs the back of his neck. "I didn't know you had an office here, commander."

"Provided by the UNION. I have no love for it," the commander says, leaning back in his chair. "It is useful in dealing with more professional matters, I suppose, but I much prefer the sterility of the ARI."

Can't relate. Akira rolls his shoulders. "Professional matters. Is that why you called me here, sir?"

"You could say that, in a way." The commander brings his hands together, fingers intertwined. "First, allow me to congratulate you on recapturing the Arrow Legion and securing Zone 30. I did not believe I would see the birth of a true Legionis once again, so early after the first. Have you tried the new training programs?"

"I have. Olive told me about it in your absence, commander. I also got plenty of training out in the field while you were gone, sir."

"And your experience?"

"It...feels so different from handling a Legion normally." Akira lifts his arm and clenches his fist, his Legatus a steady weight on his wrist. His Legion gives him nothing but silence. "I can barely tell where it ends and I begin. It's a little unsettling, to be honest...n-not that I'm complaining, commander!"

"No, your honesty on the matter is more than welcome," the commander says with a reassuring smile. "What about it is unsettling?"

Akira drums his fingers on his thigh. "Well...before, it just felt like having...a pet. But now it feels like having a second person trying to worm their way into my brain."

"I see. And if I told you I could fix that little problem?"

He looks back up from his Legatus. "What?"

The commander straightens out, his eyes shining behind his glasses. "You see, I have spent the last week helping to rebuild our laboratory at the ARI, but that does not mean my work has stopped. You must have noticed the chimeras' behaviour. They are getting smarter, stronger. Our algorithm needs to be completely redone to judge their power appropriately, now, and I believe this is due to the Legions' escape; an integral part of creating a Legion is to incorporate the Legionis' mental faculties within the data of the target chimera: thoughts, memories, feelings, everything becomes a part of it. But since the Legions went rogue, this data has now begun spreading among the chimeras. _Human_ data. I have continued to devise new methods of creating and controlling the Legions in response, based on the data I have received so far from the few excursions that have been made into the Astral Plane. And, I have recently made a breakthrough that could turn the tide in our favour." He stops to drag one of the screens back in front and flips it around toward Akira. A chimera with grey and purple skin floats in red liquid. "Using red matter directly allows us to build a Legion from a chimera within days rather than weeks, and as the materials replicate the environment of the Astral Plane, the Legion is granted much stronger abilities and reinforced restraints."

Woah. "That won't spread redshift?"

"Not at all. The materials are layered in such a way as to prevent any active red matter from escaping its armour. Moreover, this process suppresses the Legion's instincts, leaving the Legionis entirely in command, without interference. If we can prove the efficacy of this method, then anyone could wield the strength of the chimeras."

"That's...that's amazing, commander." Is he gonna be replaced? Thrown aside now that there's no more need for an inferior soldier? "But...what does that have to do with me?"

The commander rolls his fingers over his knuckles. "I would like you to be the first to test our new prototype. You would have to give up the Arrow Legion, of course."

' _No!_ '

He stops breathing and gapes as the commander's eyes meet his over his glasses. "Me?" He laughs nervously. "But...what will happen to me in the meantime? I can't..."

"Yes, I have heard from certain sources that you've been struggling with your finances lately, correct?" The commander interrupts.

Akira grimaces. "Well...yes, our...the apartment was priced for two, but I don't-"

"If you accept the offer, I can double your revenue." What. "Effective immediately. As long as you continue to work as competently as you have thus far, that should be more than enough to cover your needs, yes?"

' _Aki-ra!_ '

"I...d-double?" Double would be enough for the apartment, the groceries, his travel costs and _more._

"Additionally, you would benefit from a de facto promotion as my personal assistant," the commander adds.

He's dreaming. He's gotta be dreaming. "Commander, that's, that's way too much, I've only been here for, what, a month and a half? I don't deserve that much!"

"On the contrary," the commander says with a flourish. "Your investigative, engineering and fighting abilities are far above the station of a simple officer. You learn quickly and efficiently, and respond to unexpected situations with aplomb, you dive into danger to protect the people of the Ark with the courage of a hero. Many, even in Neuron, can only dream of facing the tragedies you have and come out with such strength."

Akira bows his head to hide the heat that climbs up his cheeks. A hero. "I...Thank you, sir. I'd be honoured to help in any way I can."

"Should I take your words as consent, then?"

"Uh." He straightens himself out and salutes. "Yes, I accept the offer, sir!"

"Excellent." The commander stands from his squeaking chair and walks over to the glass box in the corner, reaching down and pulling out a tube the size of his leg with a hiss of compressed air and water vapour. He places it down and opens the top. "Your Legion's core, if you will. Twist and lift the collar."

Akira looks down. With a shaky hand, he grabs the edge of the metal structure and twists once, clicking the catch open. The core fires up, reshaping itself frantically as it sparks blue lightning.

' _NononononoAkira!_ '

He pulls it off his Legatus with a jerk of his wrist. The core stops. The voice stops. "So I just...drop it inside?"

"Exactly." The commander nods. "This container is specially designed to hold a Legion's core in suspension, both physically and psychologically. I will have it transported to the ARI as soon as our meeting here is over, and it will remain in containment until a new suitable owner is found."

The tube turns a dull blue as he lowers the collar into it, then slowly darkens once he pulls away his hand. The core shrinks and its light turns into a small sphere.

The commander closes the tube back up and sets it back within the cold box.

"How long will it take for the new Legion to be ready?" Akira flexes his fingers.

"A few hours or so, I believe," the commander responds.

"That quickly? I thought this was a first."

"I work very efficiently."

As expected from a genius. While the commander sits back down in his chair, Akira slides his Legatus off his bracer, pulling the tie-down strap from his pocket to loop it through his belt and Legatus and clip it back on itself, fastening the device to his hip.

"Onto the second order of business, then."

There's _more?_ "Sir?"

"While you might be unable to go about your regular duties for the moment, I have an assignment for you to fulfill, one which only you can accomplish," the commander says, adjusting his glasses. "According to your report from July 12, you were rescued from the Astral Plane after your confrontation with the Arrow Legion by a yellow drone, is that right?"

Akira frowns and closes his eyes. A yellow...? "Oh, Hal, yeah. He said his name was Hal."

The commander nods. "Yes, so I've heard. Through some research of my own and Olive's assistance, we've been able to determine the identity of the drone's owner as that of Harold Clark, one of our best programmers in the technical division."

"Huh. He's from Neuron? I've never seen him around."

"He is not officially employed in our records; he works as a freelancer under contract with us, on the condition that we never require his presence. I have never seen him in person myself, but his skills are worth the price of uncertainty."

"That...explains the drone. So, what do you need me to do, commander?"

"I would like you to ingratiate yourself to him."

"Ingra..." Akira frowns. What a weird way to phrase it. "You want me to...get him to like me, sir? What for?"

"The development of the Legions is only a step in the right direction," the commander states. "His services may be needed, and his opinion of me seems to be rather poor. I believe having someone he can trust would make him more comfortable in working alongside us."

Only a step in the right direction? "Okay...but how am I supposed to find him, sir? Drones don't have IDs."

"I believe Olive can tell you more about him. _Finding_ him is up to you. You _are_ a detective."

"Ah. Right. I'll...do my best, commander."

"That is all I ask of you, Akira. There is no need to stress yourself on the matter. Think of it as...a day off. Ah, but before you go. I need to borrow your Legatus."

Akira tilts his head to the side, reaching down to detach his Legatus from his belt and passing it over to the commander. With a screwdriver, he pulls open the bottom of the device, then takes out a small chip from one of the drawers of his desk, and slips it within the mechanisms before closing it back up and holding out to Akira. "This will prepare it to receive your new Legion. Don't lose it now." The commander chuckles to himself. "You are dismissed."

Akira secures the Legatus again and turns away, slipping out of the door as quietly as he came in.

He releases a sigh once he's out in the hallway. Personal assistant to the Director of the Ark. How is he supposed to handle- no. No, he _will_ handle these new responsibilities. If Akane had been around, she would have accepted without question, instead of putting herself down. He does deserve that much!

He dumps his remaining bracer back in his locker once he's back down in the depths of the station, and pokes his head into the command centre. Huh. Olive isn't there...but tufts of red hair stick out from the first desk in the fourth column. "Kay?"

Green eyes peek over the edge, Kay's glasses striking the surface of the desk. "Howard. What's up?"

"Do you know where Olive is?"

"Probably making out with Brenda in the infirmary."

He blinks. "Uh. What."

Kay waves her hand in the air. "If they don't have a crush on each other, I'll eat my boots. It's _her_ lunch break, she can do what she wants."

"Er." How is he supposed to answer that? "O-okay. The infirmary, then?"

"Knock before you cockblock!" Kay shouts as she disappears back under her desk.

"R-right..." He rubs his shoulder and backs away from the command centre, carefully stepping over to the infirmary. There's...no _weird_ sounds, just chatter- why is he listening to Kay. He gently slaps his cheek, then knocks on the side of the doorway before leaning around the divider.

Olive smiles at him from one of the beds, a pink lunchbox in her lap. "Akira! You're back!"

At her desk, Brenda turns slightly away from her monitor to nod in greeting before she returns to her typing, only for Olive to stretch out her leg and nudge the good doctor with the tip of her heel until she sighs and swivels her chair around completely, throwing Olive a mock glare. "Hello, Akira. It's good to see you."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Olive says as she uses her nails to pry out a quarter of cucumber from her lunchbox and offer it to Brenda. "Now eat. I wish your PhD had been in healthy dietary habits. How was your meeting, Akira?"

He crosses his arms. "I...got a promotion. Sort of?"

Olive bounces up and straightens out. "Wait, really?!"

"The commander asked me to be his new assistant." The empty mechanisms of his Legatus clink against his hip. "And test out a new Legion prototype."

Olive's eyebrows rise behind her bangs, and she whistles in admiration. "Wow, someone's climbing up the ranks quickly! I didn't know the ARI was working on new Legions." She glances at Brenda.

"I have heard them called the Type-R," Brenda says behind her hand, around her mouthful of cucumber. "But I'm not directly involved in the project, beyond caring for our members. Are you certain you're alright with this arrangement, Akira? This is a lot of responsibility to put on the shoulders of a 19 year old."

He rolls his eyes. "I can handle it, doctor. I already got my first assignment, and all I have to do is make friends!" Then he snaps his fingers and points at Olive. "Speaking of which. Olive, can you tell me more about Hal?"

"Hal?" She tilts her head to the side. "Wait, your assignment is to make friends with Hal? What does the commander want with our local geek?"

"The commander said it might help him to have someone he can trust. Besides, I need to thank him for pulling me out of the Astral Plane the other day."

"Aw, alright, that's cute." Olive taps her index to her lips. "Well, we're not super close friends, but, let's see...he's a big nerd, so you have that in common."

" _Thanks,_ Olive." She grins at him.

"He likes all kinds of books, especially the technical stuff that goes deep into details, but you can't go wrong talking about any genres with him. I know he frequents the Technopark in Zone 25, mostly Wiaza and PlatinumVision." Her eyes go wide, and she shakes her hand at him. "Oh, oh! Eden is having a special this week to commemorate the founding of the ARI! Maybe you two could have a little _date._ "

His cheeks burn up. "I'm not even friends with the guy!"

"You're a big boy!" Olive giggles. "I'm just teasing. But still! He barely gets to see nature, I'm sure he'd love a taste of it, at least."

Barely gets to see... "Hang on, the commander said Hal put down the condition that he never had to show up, but are you saying he just...doesn't go out?"

"If you get to see him in person, tell me, because I've never. Meatspace just isn't his thing."

"Well, that makes things easier; shouldn't be too hard to find a bright yellow drone. Technopark, right?"

Olive nods. "If he's out around this hour, I'm pretty sure that's where you'll find him."

"Alright. I'll be back later, then." He waves and walks back behind the divider, toward the exit.

"Later, Akira! Have fun!" Olive shouts before he leaves, followed by a snort and a yelp from Brenda. "That doesn't mean you get to go back to work now! Fifteen minutes, Brenda!"

* * *

## Deception

_"Hey, slow down, sweetheart, your ol' man can't keep up!"_

_Akane had laughed and smushed her face against the glass, her arms wrapping around his tiny legs as he wrapped his own arms around her forehead. "Just run faster, Daddy!"_

_He'd been too focused on the monkeys jumping from branch to branch to pay attention to Dad until he'd received a thump on the back and a hand ruffling his hair every which way. He smiled with all his teeth, clambering off his sister's shoulders to stand proudly, even as his thigh had throbbed in pain._

He lets his motorcycle slowly drift to a stop between two others on the small vehicles elevator to Zone 25, sliding off as the signal rings and the large slab of metal and concrete starts to move along its rails. He drums his fingers on the dashboard, tracing his path through the sector; he should be able to walk along Sejong to So-hun then up to Technopark without meeting too much traffic. If Hal isn't there, at least he'll get some exercise in.

"25 years! For 25 years we've fought back, standing strong in the face of disaster!" An announcer from the Ark News Group blares from the giant TV screen at the end of the street as he straps his emergency bag to his leg. "Isn't that what being human is all about?! Happy 25th birthday to the Aegis Research Institute, our weapon against evil, and our future!"

As if any of these people know what fighting is.

The streets get more and more crammed with people the closer he gets to Technopark, bodies from storefront to storefront and warehouse to warehouse, until he's forced to shoulder his way through the crowd to even get close to the area. Heavy synth-pop plays through the scramble to accompany the smell of fast food and welding. He drags his motorcycle with him over to a parking spot by the sidewalk once there's space to breathe, and pushes down to lock it onto the magnetic plate, then he stretches himself onto the tip of his toes to scan the surroundings. No trace of any drone, yellow or otherwise.

He falls back on his heels and taps his foot. His stomach growls. Alright. Food first, questions after.

The mechanical clerk at the entrance of the Larger Burger beeps at him when he steps in, and he punches in his order for a deluxe combo to-go before shuffling into the queue. The guy behind the counter takes and swipes his cashchip through the reader.

"Hey, uh..." Akira drums his fingers on the counter. The cashier raises an eyebrow. "This might sound like a weird question, but you wouldn't happen to have seen a yellow drone around? I'm...looking for a friend of mine."

The cashier blinks and nods toward the door. "Ya, went by a little earlier. Dunno where it was going."

"Oh, good. At least I know he's in the area." He takes the container the cashier hands to him and smiles. "Thanks for the info."

"Enjoy your food, mate."

He exits back out onto the streets, biting a chunk of the burger as he drifts to an unoccupied spot in the masses. The tomato is sweet but the slightest bit sour, the cheese melts in his mouth, the onions and pickles give that necessary crunch under his teeth. He hums in satisfaction-

"'Scuse me! 'Scuse me! Coming through!"

And turns his head toward the commotion, chewing through the synthetic protein. That voice...some people move aside a little further down, and...a yellow drone pops out from the sea of heads, its antenna blinking rapidly in distress. Hal's drone looks around and starts floating away above the crowd, and Akira takes a sip of his drink, then raises his head to the sky.

"Hey! Hal!"

The drone stops, swivels and tilts to meet his eyes, the blue sensors going from wide to even wider."Akira?!" The squeaky voice comes down from the sky.

He waves and points toward a nearby alley; Hal's head follows the direction of his finger as he lowers his drone's altitude. Akira follows after, stepping in between the two buildings to fall face to face with a drone buzzing with excitement.

"H-hi! Didn't expect to see _you_ here!" Maybe not excitement, then.

"And _I_ was hoping to find _you_ here." He smiles.

The drone freezes in mid-air. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No, no. I just wanted to have a chance to actually talk to the one who saved my life." He shifts his container to one hand and...he stops his other from moving. He can't shake hands with a drone. "We didn't even have the chance to introduce each other properly back then. I'm Akira Howard. You're Harold Clark, right?"

"Er." One of the drone's sensors narrows. Did he say something... "I. Just. Call me Hal."

"Oh. Sorry, Hal. Is...it alright if I use masculine pronouns?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm, I just don't like the name Harold. Um. It's nice...to meet you for real, Akira. Ah, wait, I'm gonna..." The drone's antenna splits in half down the length and spreads apart, light flowing out into a fuzzy hologram before it solidifies into a turquoise-shaded image of a man with silvery blond hair and a wide metal plate affixed over his eyes, two, erm, nice, metal arms slipped through an asymmetrical white and yellow coat. "There. This is a bit less impersonal, huh?"

Akira leans in. "Is that what you look like? Your arms..."

"I made them myself," Hal says, bringing a hand up to his chin- his fingers still seem to be flesh and bone. "Most of my body is bionic. It's a long story."

"Woah. That's impressive. And your eyes...?"

Hal pulls on the mask and drags it up his forehead. Thin eyebrows pull into a frown above a pair of yellow eyes with long lashes, Hal blinking at him, or at somewhere in his direction, before he places the mask back over them. " _That's_ just an interface device to let me see through my drone. Although, my eyes are mechanical too."

Akira chuckles to himself. He's basically a cyborg! "I can see why you'd spend so much time here."

Hal leans back. "H-huh? H-how do you know that?"

Ah...that does make him sound like a stalker, doesn't it. He raises his one free hand, palm out. "Olive told me you're here a lot. That's all."

"Oh." That seems to get Hal back to normal. "I forgot you work with her for a moment."

Akira looks down at his grey t-shirt and khaki cargo pants, his hand filled with food instead of a weapon. "That's fair. I don't really look like an officer out of uniform."

"Um, you still give off the air, though. And the...uh. Muscles," Hal stutters out. Is that a blush? Oh gods. "W-what are you doing here, anyway?"

"I....like I said. I wanted to get to know you." Akira rubs the back of his neck. He...he _probably_ shouldn't mention the commander, right? "It's not often you come across a drone in the Astral Plane, even less a drone piloted by someone."

"Oh." Hal turns his face away. "Well, it's, you know, it's not often I get dragged through a gate by chimeras and end up helping someone recapture a Legion! Haha! Well...the Legion part, at least. You wouldn't know the number of times I've had chimeras try to pick a fight. No idea why."

"They're going after you?" What do chimeras want a drone for? "I can protect you."

Hal shifts back slightly toward him with a wobbly smile. "Hah, I-I could use a bodyguard."

"Well, I don't know if you need protection right now, but I...have the day off." Oh no, stop.

"You- you're serious?"

"If you're done here for today..." He keeps running his fingers through the small hairs on his nape. Oh gods, it really sounds like he's going to ask him out on a date. _Is_ he asking him out on a date? The commander just said to earn his trust, but... "We could...go to Eden, I hear they're having a special for the ARI's 25th birthday. I'm pretty sure there's no chimeras there."

"Um, what's that?"

Akira tilts his head. "What's...what? Eden? You've never been to the biosphere before?"

"A biosphere," Hal mutters. "Oh! Like a giant zoo! That...that sounds really interesting, actually."

"Take a walk with me, then? It's just up in Zone 26."

"Um, okay, why not, I don't have anything planned today!" Hal nods excitedly. "Uh, lead the way!"

The hologram shuts off and the drone pops back to life, flying back up to be level with his head. Akira smiles and steps out of the alley, into the crowd, keeping an eye on Hal to make sure he follows. Something tightens in his chest, the smile fading off his face. He just lied to the guy. No, no, it...it wasn't a lie, he did want to get to know him, he...he would have wanted to even if the commander hadn't said anything...right?

He lightly slaps his cheeks and glances at Hal. "So, uh...what brought you to Technopark today?"

"Huh?" The drone spins to face him even as it keeps navigating the streets with him. "Oh, I was looking for some decryption solution for A...uh, a, a _client_ of mine!"

"A decryption solution? Aren't most of them public today?"

"Yeah, but the data card I'm trying to crack uses some kind of encryption I've never seen before."

They climb, or hover, up the stairs, then into the elevator. "Maybe I could help? I've cracked my share of ciphers."

"Er, oh, no, it's _fine_ ," Hal says quickly. "It's, it's my job, you know."

"Oh, alright." Akira scratches the back of his head. "Makes sense."

An awkward silence settles over them, even after the elevator opens up and they make their way into Zone 26, following the ever-moving files toward Eden. The dome extends out far above any other buildings in the area, metal and glass turning the sphere into a little sun on the Ark, white paint dyed yellow and orange by the afternoon rays. Hal breaks the silence with a small gasp of admiration.

"Woah...I can't believe I've never been here."

Akira smiles. "Come on. Let's go in and get our tickets."

* * *

## Denial

Only a few people remain in the entrance hall, newcomers and staff, the rest quickly disappearing into the habitats.

Hal spins on himself, trying to take in every little detail, from the black floor below to the simulated sky within the dome far above, with its fluffy clouds and blinding sun, the star projector system turned off until night. Akira slips his cashchip out of the reader and his paper slip out of the machine, and both into his pocket as he joins the drone's side, the people around as quiet and immersed in the beauty and vastness of it.

"If that's all it takes to impress you, you're gonna freak out when you see the habitats."

Hal chuckles. "I can't wait."

"Well, you don't have to. Pick one to start." Akira gestures at the two wide doors on opposite sides of the room. "We can go from hot to cold, or cold to hot."

"Uh, I think it'd be easier on you if we went from hot to cold," Hal says. "It's easier for the human body to cool down than warm up, right? Thermodynamics isn't my domain!"

"Hot climate it is, then."

Traversing the entrance alone takes them a good minute, Hal a calming hum at his side. Beyond the door extends a large expanse of sand and dry dirt that sucks up all the moisture in the air, even behind the windows, two monitor lizards stalking between the shrubs and small birds singing among the branches of the acacia trees. Hal floats closer to the glass as a camel comes stomping along, and a group of children gasp and squeal at the sight of the animal, thankfully spared from the noise by the one-way glass.

The greenery slowly shrivels away the further they go along the curve, until the sand takes over everything and the only traces of green are cacti. A few birds trail through the desert, if he squints enough.

"It's a little hard to believe the whole Earth used to have animals wandering around like that," Hal says, his drone leaning slightly to one side.

Akira nods. "Dad used to take me and Akane here when we were younger. A bit of a treat when we weren't at the ARI. I never thought much of it, but now that I'm older, I realize just how much of the Earth was stolen from us. We never got to enjoy nature as it is."

"At the ARI?" Hal asks.

"Huh?" The drone turns to look at him, and he blinks. "Oh. I thought...everyone knew about us. The devil's children of Zone 09?"

"Wha-? Jesus, that's an awful thing to call anyone. Does that mean...you were born in Zone 09?"

"During the Pandemic, yeah. The ARI kept us as test subjects until..." He rolls his tongue against his teeth. He wasn't really 'Dad' then. " _Max_ adopted us. We both had a few more visits after that to deal with bouts of redshift, but nothing permanent."

"That's...is it alright if I ask about it? I don't want to dig up any trauma or anything, it's just, I've never talked to anyone who spent time in the ARI."

"Ask away." Akira shrugs. "I don't think anything about it traumatized me to the point I'd have some kind of mental breakdown. For the most part I just hate hospitals."

"Okay, um...why...did they keep you as test subjects?"

He hums. "Apparently...our mother was almost an aberration by the time we were born. Akane didn't have a lot of aftereffects from it, but my hair would constantly go red, and I'd need surgery to pull crystals out of my body every few years or so until I was about twelve. It wasn't ever dangerous, because we both got really high tolerance to redshift out of it, so I guess they wanted to see if there was anything about us that could help cure other people."

"That sounds awful."

"It wasn't that bad. I...I had Akane with me."

"Oh, I'm...sorry."

"Yeah." Akira bites his lip as Hal turns back to watch the desert. In silence, they pass through to shrublands of coyotes and rabbits, and savannas of lions and antelopes, then grasslands before Hal pipes up again.

"I, uh, I used to take care of some people out in Zone 09, a few years ago, before I started working with Neuron."

Akira hums again, before he stops and frowns. "What? What do you mean, a few _years_ ago? There hasn't been anyone in Zone 09 for two decades. Not _people,_ at least _._ "

"But...there is?" Hal counters. "The police around the Containment Wall call them 'Uppers,' because they live on the rooftops, since it's the only place left that's relatively safe from redshift. Most of them are survivors from the Pandemic or descendants. You mean you've never even heard of them?"

"No?" Akira blinks and drags his fingers through his hair. There's people stuck behind the Wall? _Why_ didn't _he_ know about this? "How...how did you... _you_ don't live _there_ , right? Right?"

The drone tilts from side to side. "Um. No..."

"I can hear the 'but.' But _what?_ "

"Uh, you're an officer, so, um, I don't think it's a good idea to tell you."

"Wha-" Akira throws his hands up. " _Hal._ I'm on my day off, I'm not an officer right now. My lips are sealed!"

Hal tilts his drone down. "Uh...well...okay, I guess you did tell me a lot of personal information. Just don't tattle on me, please? Because...I _used_ to live in Zone 09, alright? You could say I'm here, uh, illegally. Just traded my cage for another one, really."

"You lived there. You _lived_ there. There really are people still in Zone 09?"

"Yeah, I guess being here just reminded me of the place."

Akira digs his fingers into his eyelids and tries to form coherent words. Animals caged behind walls with their natural predators...oh gods, there must be so many chimeras crawling around. Why hasn't the UNION done _anything?_ Useless, useless! He chains back the beast roaring in his chest, clenching his fists and his teeth.

"Do you know the Hermits?"

His eyes pop back open, and he jogs to catch up with Hal as the drone moves along toward the marine environments. "Yeah...? They're a gang of hackers that made themselves a name for injuring a lot of officers in the past two months. Broken limbs, debilitating wounds, concussions, the whole thing."

"They weren't like that before," Hal sighs. "I mean, we were hackers, yeah, but more the 'rob from the rich and give to the poor' kind of thing. Violence wasn't part of the movement, really, the idea was to help people everywhere."

"We? _We?_ "

"Uh, I was their leader." Holy shit. "Some of them were shady, but I know they're decent people, being shady is just par for the course when you live in Zone 09. N-not trying to excuse their actions, obviously, just..." Hal stops in front of one of the large aquarium tanks, his brightness spooking a few fishes away and saving them from a shark that passes by. He seems to think to himself for a moment, his drone's sensors closing halfway. Akira takes the opportunity to stare and blink in sync with one of the koi. How's he supposed to process all of this? "Have you ever read the Bible?"

He narrows his eyes. What's the connection? "Uh, I know the basics, but...no? Have you?"

"I have a lot of time to waste," Hal states. "There's this one story called the Flood narrative in the early parts of the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis. God comes down upon the Earth to see it corrupt and full of sin, so he instructs his most faithful servant, Noah, to build an ark, a giant boat to house him, his family, and a pair of each animal on Earth, to protect them from the incoming flood God will rain down upon the planet to destroy all sinners."

"That's..."

"It just makes me wonder, is that what's happening here? If the chimeras are the flood, then you mark the people you leave to die as sinners, as if they deserve their fate!" Hal barrels on. "The police is told to keep anyone from entering or exiting. How is that fair? Who decided the rest of the Ark should be able to forget about Zone 09? The UNION? The commander? Are the people I care about somehow worth less?

Akira looks down and taps his fingers on his thigh. Are they? He didn't even know they existed. No one ever told him they existed. "I don't know how to answer that, Hal..."

The drone jumps up in the air. "Oh, no, um...sorry, I didn't mean to get so dark."

"No, I can understand why you're worried. I don't know why the UNION hasn't done anything." He shakes his head. Rich cowards fattening themselves on the misery of the poor. "I...I'll bring it up to the commander, I'm sure _we_ can do something to help them, especially with the Legions!"

"Um...right- woah!"

Hal flies back as a seal breaks the water and dives straight down toward the sea floor. Akira bites back a surprised laugh, only to have Hal start snickering to himself, and the two of them burst out in laughter.

Their visit continues with the setting of the sun, the lights slowly shutting off one by one throughout the habitats, until they get to the arctic tundra with the last, a few sad polar bears wandering about. Hal snaps a few pictures, if the clicks from his sensors are any indication, and Akira rubs at his eyes and yawns. Where's a Legion's energy boost when you need it?

The next door thankfully exits out to the souvenir shop. "Well, that was an interesting day."

"I had a lot of fun," Hal says, revolving on himself to face him. "It's rare that I get to hang out with someone. It's a bit of a break from reading and coding, heh."

"Maybe we could do it in person next time?"

"Er, dunno if I'm ready for that, but I'll think about it."

Akira nods and looks over the souvenirs scattered across the shelves and racks; shirts, mugs, figures, stickers...oh, stickers. Waterproof, tear-proof and ecological. He glances at Hal, picks up a slide of anemones and starfishes and shakes it at him. "Want a sticker to remember the occasion?"

"Huh? I...don't have money on me."

As if he's gonna make him pay for a gift. He rolls his eyes, slaps the slide against the scanner and his cashchip against the reader, before carefully peeling off the brightest starfish of the bunch. "Where do you want it?"

"I...that's, um. M-maybe, uh, o-on the head? On t-the other side of, uh, the Cyberbrain one?"

"Got it." He steps around to the left of the drone, and gently lays down the sticker against the side of its head. "There."

"T-thanks, Akira."

They step out of the souvenir shop back into the entrance to the sound of the star projector activating. They both stop and stare as stars and planets and nebulae spread across the ceiling and floor, turning the room into a small universe at the tip of their fingers.

He frowns when his Legatus beeps, pulling the device off his belt and flipping it around toward him. A message from the commander?

'Your Legion awaits. Come to my office at your earliest convenience."

"What...happened to your Legion?"

"Hm?" He looks up from his Legatus to Hal's drone. "Oh, the commander is having me test out a new prototype with better restraints. The Arrow Legion will be handed off to someone else."

"Oh."

"And it seems like it's ready." He shakes his Legatus and smiles. "So I'm gonna have to run back to the station. Are you okay on your own?"

Hal chuckles. "Yeah, I'm not totally defenceless. Thanks, Akira. I'll, um, see you later?"

"Yeah, absolutely." Akira holds the door open for Hal to hover through, then steps out himself into the night air. "I'll see you later, Hal."

* * *

## Corruption

Red lights around the edges glare off the dark silver of its Legatus and the black helmet lying beside it upon the desk, atop a pile of black clothes and armour. The core within spins vertically, then each side twists on itself at once and red bleeds out along the edges of the cube, before it snaps to a stop, only to repeat the process horizontally.

"I believed the old model of the Legatus would be able to accommodate the new Legions, but the addition of unique features to the Type-R Legions forced us to upgrade the Legatus' form factor as well," the commander says, eyes glittering behind his glasses. "Its outward appearance has not changed, but its hardware and software specifications have been modified drastically. I'm sure you can find that out for yourself."

Akira curls his fingers underneath the device and gently lifts it up. Red matter purrs in response, the Astral Spark crawling along, wrapping around its restraints, the beat of its heart syncing up with his- his heart syncing up with it.

The commander taps his fingers together and waves toward the helmet. "A new uniform has also been prepared specifically for you, made with materials reinforced through a similar process to the creation of Legion armour. It provides high resistance against red matter and cannot be dirtied or destroyed outright by any hands, human or chimeric. The fabric is breathable and elastic enough to be worn day and night. Of course, the helmet is optional."

The red bow-shaped lines of the visor and the elongated crest give the helmet an alien look. Akira carefully unfolds the clothes with one hand; an undershirt of black material, plated over with black metal engraved with the logo of the ARI on the shoulders, a thick black and white jacket, black cargo pants joined to a large belt and a series of pouches, and a long hooded cloak with the Neuron logo painted in red on the side of the hood. Metal cylinders attach to the upper arms of the jacket, bracers to the forearms and knee pads to the pants.

"I would appreciate it greatly if you could call forth your new Legion," the commander says.

Akira looks up from the armour and blinks. "H-here, sir? Isn't that dangerous?"

"I have absolute confidence in my creations. Do you not?"

He wets his lips, picks up one of the bracers and attaches it to his forearm. Then he picks up the Legatus again, twists it around and snaps it onto the bracer. The core stops, as if listening to him, and reaches out through his nervous system to connect to his implant with five distinct snaps. He clenches his fist and bends his arm.

The core and collar shoot up above his head, the red chain snapping close onto his cuff. Dark particles pour out from the cube, black and red mingling together into a triangular head buried entirely under black plates, blood-coloured skin flowing down into limbs wrapped in black and white armour, large spikes protruding up from its shoulders and down from its hips. It leans forward, its crest extending out to points on each side of its brow, then it raises claws and summons a pair of...blades?

That's..."The Sword Legion?"

"The Type-R Blade Legion," the commander corrects as the IRIS feeds him the exact same information. TR Blade Legion, C-Scale C5. "While individually, they are weak...if you would direct your attention to your Legatus..."

Akira twists his arm. The screen of the Legatus lights up with a circle split into five segments. Blade, Bowgun, Heavy, Wolf, Bardiche, each section is respectively labelled clockwise. Everything clicks so easily. He pulses his implant.

With a roar, the Legion's particles break apart and reassemble between two blinks into the form of his Arrow Legion, clad in black and red as well. TR Bowgun Legion, C-Scale C5. Another, and it takes the form of the Arm Legion- TR Heavy Arm Legion, C-Scale C5- and the form of the Beast- TR Wolf Legion, C-Scale C5- and the form of the Axe- TR Bardiche Legion, C-Scale C5- each of these three with the same red line crossing through where their eyes should be, all of them offering back to him his own image painted in shades of red. His hair, his eyes, his _veins_ shine so _brightly._

"It took us quite a while to achieve such a feat, but it appears that multiple Legions' data can easily be fitted onto a single core. You are the first to receive this new system. Used in conjunction with each other, in capable hands, the Type-R Legions are the pinnacle of anti-chimeric weaponry."

He shudders and swallows bile. His hair... "This is...amazing, commander."

"Of course, you are the first and the last," the commander continues as he leans back in his chair. "You are the only one I require to proceed to the next step of our plan."

Akira blinks. "Um. This is the second time you mention steps of some plan, commander. What...plan? Is there more than the Legions?"

The commander hums and swivels his chair around to look out the window. "When I was younger, myself and three other researchers were sent into the Antarctic to investigate the meteor that caused the appearance of the gates. It was during this expedition that I first witnessed the power of the chimeras. Do you believe in a higher power, Akira?"

What's with all the religious talk today? "I...believe in a higher power of some kind, but I dunno if I'd say I believe in a specific god?"

"A deist, then."

"Do _you_ believe, sir?"

The commander chuckles lowly. "You might be surprised to hear so, but I do...in a way. You see, I was born and raised in a Jewish family, taught the beliefs and traditions of Reform Judaism throughout my childhood. I still hold these moments of my life close to my heart. However, as I became older and studied more, I distanced myself from religion overall. None of it ever held the answers I sought, or showed me the path I needed to take. And once the chimeras arrived, I realized I don't believe there is a god watching over us. No, rather, I believe humanity has been granted the opportunity to do something much greater: create our _own._ "

"What...?"

"I did not only see the chimeras back then. There are beings that preside over them, control them like puppet masters. The Ark and the Legions were always devised as temporary measures to stave off our extinction." The commander turns back around with a fire burning in his eyes. "But I believe, the only way humanity has any chance to survive the incoming storm is by harnessing our enemies' power. To wrestle from the chimeras our means of evolution, to push humanity beyond the boundaries of divinity! Through the Legions, we have stepped into their territory, and through Legionis such as you, Akira, we can grasp the threads of fate and _bend_ them to our will."

"...How am I supposed to do that?"

"Not yet," the commander states, standing to walk around the desk. "But once you have been properly trained...you hold the key to our ascension. Akira, you may pour your mind into your Legion's body, but what if I told you, you could do so much more? To merge completely, body and soul? The fusion of human and chimera can create more energy than our very sun, enough to seize some measure of control over the Astral Plane itself! Of course, a single Legionis cannot do much, but what about not one, or two, or three, but a dozen? More?"

"We could...take over the Astral Plane."

"Exactly." Akira straightens out and takes a deep breath as the commander's hands close around his shoulders. "You hold the power to bring us all into a new age, Akira. The circumstances of your birth make you the perfect candidate to attempt this fusion, and your success could forever alter the course of human history, a path where there is no need for fear, of death, of illness, of loss. We would never have to worry about humanity's downfall ever again. You would be a _god._ "

"Do you really think I can do that, commander?"

The commander smiles. "Absolutely, Akira. I know you can."

He salutes. "Then I'll do everything I can to meet your expectations, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what it says about me that Yoseph is the easiest character for me to write. Also, I have to give credit to [Sylvalum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylvalum/pseuds/Sylvalum) for the sticker idea. Honestly, Hal needs more stickers.
> 
> The design of the Raven armour toward the end is based on [this piece of concept art from the artbook.](https://preview.redd.it/6xj333qlvnr41.jpg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8f6d1864f2b5437d53dd30040096742c0a6e0a0)


	8. File 08 [Conspiracy]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime; a secret plan to achieve an illicit goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's put the 'punk' back in 'cyberpunk.'

## Intimacy

"Is this how we are meant to be, is this everything we've been longing for..."

She pushes her shoulder blades into whatever's under her as hard as she can to keep herself grounded. Her skin burns and her joints barely bend. Where is she. What happened. She's on a...a couch, maybe. Too much give to be anything in the Astral Plane. The small speckles and cracks under her fingers say leather, old and worn, and a blanket is thrown over her lower body to her midsection. Noise assaults her from every direction; the buzzing of electronics to her left, almost completely buried beneath the orchestral soundtrack of whatever movie is playing, the crinkle of a plastic bag and the rustle of...of...the warmth of her Legion's core sinks into her bones, loosening up her muscles. They're still here. She's...safe. Somewhat. Why are they hiding?

"Yeah, Brandon, just kiss him!"

She pries open her right eye. At the other end of the couch, a...someone reclines in their steel chair, too busy shovelling popcorn into their mouth to pay attention to her. Black skin highlighted by the blue light from the screen behind her pokes out the bottom of some kind of...helmet with green-tipped metal dreadlocks bent upward, holographic symbols flickering around over their grey and orange jacket.

The movie stops. "Man, for a detective, you suck at being subtle."

Wha- she tenses up and screws her eyes shut. How'd they notice?!

"Yeah, you ain't foolin' me, Howard."

They know her name. Slowly, she opens her eyes back up. Who is this weirdo? They dust off their hands and pull down on their helmet in a puff of red particles, the piece connecting to the ring around their neck with a series of clicks, and holographic cartoony teeth appear over the black surface, followed by two crosses for eyes right above. She pulses her...her implant is _gone._ Her _IRIS_ is _gone._ How the...her Legion's core hovers down above her head. What...what happened to her Legatus?

"S'bout time you woke up," the guy says. "I was gonna throw your corpse out with the trash."

She opens her mouth, her tongue peeling off her palate, and, and _squeaks._ Fuck, how long has she been out _this time?_

"That was the most pathetic attempt at talking I've ever seen."

Oh, fuck off. She takes a deep breath through her nose. The aches radiating through her bones slowly fade, until she's able to curl her fingers, then drag her elbows under her- it _is_ leather- to push herself to a sitting position, the blanket sliding down- oh god, what the hell happened to her uniform?! She wasn't _this_ caked in blood last time, is that _her_ blood? And where are her stitches? She tilts her head- wha...her hair...

"Here." She startles and squeezes herself further into the couch as her...host? Gives her a foam cup filled with water. Bloody hell, they're _huge._ "Ya know, I was expectin' somethin' a bit more violent from ya. Guess you're just as human as us when it comes to this kinda stuff."

Huh? Isn't she...human? She carefully takes the cup and cradles it in her hands. A large, ragged gash through her shirt and jacket lets cold air run across her abdomen, and she shudders at the same sensation crawling against her spine. She must have been...she takes a sip of water, cold water. Stabbed? Again? But clean through like that, she should be dead.

Well, maybe...she... _is_ dead. Her skin seems paler and her hair's white. She died and now she's haunting this place.

She glances at her keeper. He doesn't look spectral. She clears her throat a few times. "Who...are...you?"

"Oh, so you do talk." They sit back in their chair and the teeth of their helmet spread into a bigger smile. "The name's Kyle. Nice to meetcha, Akane Howard."

"Wh-" Cough. "Am I...dead?"

Kyle barks a laugh. "Might've been easier for all of us if you'd stayed dead."

"Huh?" She buries her face in her elbow as a coughing fit folds her in half, her lungs screaming for air. If she'd _stayed_ dead? She...she...

The chimeras. Black armour, a polearm, red and purple, her stitches splitting open and hands grasping at her limbs, her Legion protecting her and her Legatus exploding into pieces, the blade piercing through skin and muscles and snapping bones and everything turning cold- her stomach revolts at the sensation, and the trash can gets there just in time for her to gag and spit out bile, a gloved hand holding back her hair. How the _fuck_ did she survive that. No stitches, no wounds, no effects other than mild discomfort?!

She looks up at Kyle. "Wh-why...am I not dead?"

"Don't remember that far, huh?"

"I, I'm _supposed_...to be dead. I felt it."

"Well, good thing that gate landed you right into our hands, 'cuz someone less considerate might've just decided to make it permanent again!" They snicker to themselves and turn away to stare out the...bay window. "I'm a lucky man, too. Thought we had the strongest thing around, but you messed up those chimeras better than any of us."

What...? Wait. "You can...see them?"

"Oh, we've been fightin' 'em off for longer than you've been a cop, Howard," Kyle says. "Or whatever you are now. I still don't really get what you're doing with one of those bastards clinging to you, though."

Her Legion's core flashes and spits out arcs of electricity. She frowns. "Just... _who_ are you? You know my name, and you know about chimeras, but I've never seen you in my life."

"Akane Howard, adopted daughter of Maximilian Howard, sister of Akira Howard. You weren't too tough to find in the UNION database. Anderson helped put things together."

"You know Jena?" She almost throws herself off the couch. "Where is she?!"

Kyle takes a step back. "Woah. Hell if I know, she took off two days ago."

Dammit! Dammit...she sighs and rests her forehead against the edge of the trash can. Why didn't she stick around?! "But...you're not UNION, then. How do you know about chimeras?"

"Hell no! There ain't no UNION here. I'm a hacker. As for the chimeras? Well, just take a look out the window."

The window? She straightens out and slowly twists herself to get her legs off the couch, her muscles protesting the action until she's standing up. Her Legion's core comes to hover near her left arm. She bundles the blanket around her, and Kyle follows her to the glass.

Dots of light pepper the darkness outside alongside bright red signage, illuminating rooftops of buildings that extend down further than her eyes can see, large shipping containers and sheets of corrugated metal stacked haphazardly into an approximation of a city block, connected to a highway that looks too old and too rundown to have been used by anything but people in the last decade. In the distance, to her right, small red lights blink on and off, just enough to shine onto the giant U imprinted on the black surface and the white kanji spelling out...'Zone 09, Containment Wall V, Restricted Area.'

The blanket falls to the floor with a soft thump.

"Can't help but run into some when you live here," Kyle mutters as she gapes.

"This is...Zone 09?" She turns to him. "Please. Tell me what happened."

Kyle hums and walks away. "I could do that, yeah...if you promise to answer my questions." He drops back into his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. "Information is the only thing valuable around here, and you're lookin' at a very rich man. If there's something to know, wall or no wall, the Hermits know it. I don't like being in the dark."

She quickly nods. "Alright. What do I have to lose? Please."

"Then we got a deal." Kyle grins. "So, what do you wanna know?"

"You said something about me fighting chimeras." She squeezes her arm, lowering herself back onto the couch. "I don't remember that."

"Ah, well, it was less of a fight and more of a one-sided massacre," he says with a short laugh. "From what I can piece together, seems like your buddy there saved your ass." She follows his finger to...her Legion's core? "A bit of that chimera magic and you went from a corpse spillin' out their guts to a monster giving that black chimera heart surgery with your hands."

She tilts her head to the side. "A...monster?"

"Twice the size of a human, black skin with blue cracks, black and white armour, huge ass claws made of stone."

That's...she transformed into a Legion? She blinks repeatedly and curls her fingers. "I...didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"Passed the hell out the moment the chimeras were dead!" Kyle slaps his knee. "Then that cube popped outta your chest and it's been hovering 'round 'til then."

She holds a hand to her chest and lets out a sigh. Thank god. Whatever her Legion did to her, at least she wasn't completely out of her mind. "And then you brought me back here?"

"Yup. Better than lyin' outside in the rain. Dunno how well this human body of yours would've held up out there for three days."

"Three days, huh? Thanks, Kyle." She barely holds back a snort when his grin goes flat, his 'eyes' turning to small dots. "You could have just left me there. So...thanks. You seem like a decent guy."

He laughs. And laughs, and laughs, and _laughs_ , almost enough to tumble backward off his chair, holding his stomach and throwing his head back. She raises her eyebrows. After a few seconds, his laughter dies down and he sighs. "Phew...hah, oh, haha, I've been called a lot of different things by cops, but decent? Haha, that's a first!"

She smiles uncertainly. "Uh...what, did you get in trouble a lot?"

"Did? We're the Hermits! You might as well just call us trouble!"

"I...don't get it. What are the...Hermits?"

Kyle stares at her. "What, you've never heard of us? You've been living under a rock?"

"Listen, I've spent half of my life in and out of hospitals, and we don't really watch TV. I don't keep up with the news."

"Well, then. Which answer do you want? We take care of Sector V- this little makeshift city you saw outside. We grow and distribute the food, we stop the assholes who try to bring us harm, and we do everything we can to protect everyone from the chimeras." Good...? His grin continues to jitter around on the black surface of his helmet, but the crosses of his eyes get sharper, meaner. "We also hack in and distribute the banking information of big companies, we dox all the UNION every year, and we put some of you Central bastards in the emergency room."

"...Excuse me?"

Kyle shrugs, turning his palms up to the sky. "Y'see, a wiser man than me once said, the people outside shouldn't be allowed to forget we exist, and the UNION's gotta pay for what they did."

"Wha- you-" She stands up, squares her shoulders and drags her nails against her palms. "Forget what I said, you're criminals!"

"What other choice do we have? We supposed to just roll over and die?"

"You're supposed to follow the law!"

"And how's the law ever helped us?" Kyle unfolds himself until he's towering over her, his grin turned upside down."You haven't been around long enough to know the kinda shit Central pulls, you're just another sucker the UNION bought with ideas of heroics, when all they want are loyal attack dogs to send after the people they deem worthless to your precious _society._ "

She grits her teeth. "You're wrong! All we want to do is help people!"

"Like I said, haven't been around long enough! I'd suggest you find another job if you're in the business of helpin' people. The UNION decided to trap us in here. The UNION sent us relief packages to give themselves a good image, then stopped as soon as it wasn't profitable to their social cred. The UNION placed cops along the Wall to make sure news wouldn't get in or out, by threat of force if needed. We're just givin' them a taste of their own medicine."

He can't be right. There has to be a reason. There has to be. She hangs her head and bites her lip. "Whatever. I'll find out the truth myself."

Kyle walks away from her. "If you want to waste your time, go ahead."

"Just ask your questions."

"Tch. Not before you clean up."

She looks up. "Huh?"

"What? We're not savages, we have showers. I'm not comfortable with the amount of blood soaked into your clothes."

And she looks back down at the remainder of her...clothes, stained brown with dried fluids, her jacket torn up in four different places, her shirt more a pair of sleeves than anything else, part of her sports bra hanging out of the hole in the middle, her socks hanging in ribbons around her legs, between strips of leather that used to be boots. She wraps her arms over her chest. "I-I don't have any other clothes."

Kyle waves his hand as he turns back to her. "I'll tell Zag to get some. Fabric's easy to get a hold on, we make lots of clothes."

"I...wouldn't mind being clean, I guess."

"Great." His hands disappear inside the pockets of his coat, his sneakers crunching pieces of concrete on his way to- he steps right through the _wall_. She blinks at the green static that runs over the hologram, and Kyle pops his head through with his grin back on his helmet.

"Are you coming or what? Don't blame me if you get lost. It's not like you know your way around."

She nods and follows after him through a surprisingly clean concrete hallway lined with steel doors on one side and ventilation ducts on the other, and insulated wires hanging above between pipes and fluorescent tubes. Kyle's humming fills the silence while he pulls open the furthest door down another hallway, then another at the end of _that_ hallway to a series of shower heads neatly divided by polished stone walls, then he opens a small door hiding bottles of various colours and shapes, towels and washcloths.

"Everybody's sleeping, so you don't have to worry about anyone walkin' in," he says. "Take anything you need in the closet. Zag's gonna drop off your new clothes outside."

"Um." She looks away when Kyle turns to her. "Thanks, I guess. Considering...everything, you didn't have to do this much for me."

He drums his fingers on the doorway. "Sure, whatever. I got nothing against you specifically, Howard. You can make your way back once you're done, yeah?"

She nods, and Kyle closes the door behind him.

She sighs and pulls the remainder of her tie off, and shivers glide up her spine and down her limbs as she peels off her rags piece by piece, gagging on the smell of rot and metal. Turning her pockets inside out just makes a few pieces of lint and some crumbs fall to the floor. No identification, no weapons, no medical supplies. Getting out of Zone 09 would have been way easier with a valid ID. She discards the mess of fabric into a corner before she pads over to the furthest shower from the entrance, picking out soap, shampoo and conditioner on the way, then she turns the water to just above freezing and sticks her head under. Red and brown spills down the white length of her hair.

She drags her hands through it. Why white? Is it a result of her merging with her Legion? Everyone's gonna think she's an old lady.

Her fingers still in the middle of foaming up the shampoo. Everyone...god, she'd give anything for one of Max's hugs, or to have Akira stuck to her side, Jin's quiet encouragements, even Alicia's teasing, tears prickle at her eyes to roll down her face through the cold water, and pure white claws reach around her shoulders- she gasps and turns around to throw herself against her Sword's chest, pressing her forehead against the warm metal.

"You're alright! I-I was so worried!"

' _About...me? Are you not mad?_ '

She looks up into blue lights with a smile. "Of course not! I don't know what you did, but you, you saved my life. Again. More than once! When my Legatus broke, I thought you'd be...gone. And then I saw you hovering around in your core..."

_'I thought it was better to hide myself, until you recovered enough. You will not be rid of me this easily._ '

She laughs and takes a step away to look at them properly. As devoid of colour as her, only the plates under their crest and along their limbs still bearing black, the green highlights turned blue. The loop of armour that used to stand out against their back is gone, and segmented scales climb up behind the raised pieces of their chest plate, where the Legatus' collar used to wrap around. They tilt their head as she runs her fingers over the jagged lines.

"Huh. I thought you'd be colder. You're not hurt?"

They hum. ' _This feels much more natural to me. Are you hurt?_ '

"No, I feel...fine. Physically, at least." She bends back under the jet of water to quickly rinse off the shampoo. "I still don't really understand what happened. You...brought me back to life?"

' _You were not dead. All I did was merge your body with mine. It was the only way I could think of to heal your wounds._ '

She blinks and turns, swiping suds off her forehead. "You can _do_ that? Then, why'd you need Jena's help back then if you can just patch me up like that? I prefer sleeping for three days than being stitched back together."

' _It was a last resort. The human body is not made for it. You were not made for it. Even with the time we spent in the Astral Plane. No matter how much it tried to adapt._ ' They growl, gently dragging their claws through her hair. ' _I still had to break your bones and reform your matter with my own. Your chances of surviving the process were...low._ '

Break her...she swallows a burning gulp of air. "Oh...that's why you and I look like...that."

' _The Astral Spark beats its life into you as it does with me._ '

"So I'm part Legion. Kyle was right to imply I'm not human."

' _Is that so bad? You are still you. Free from human constraints, yet untethered from the masters' control._ '

"Oh, I'm not complaining. I guess we both have a little of each other inside of us, now." She pauses, groans and hides her face in her hand. Bloody hell. "That sounded better in my head. Can you get my back?"

Her Sword hums and gently takes the soap from her hands while she turns and scrubs at her face, picking off scabs of blood caked behind her jawline. She arches her back as rough scales trace the outline of her muscles, down her shoulders, up her spine, claws ghosting over her skin, goosebumps climbing up her arms, and she curls her toes when they- _oh_ \- lightly scratch at the base of her neck.

"Hey, do chimeras have names?"

Their fingers tangle in her hair. ' _No. But the name Legion fits. I am made of many._ '

She chuckles and leans into the touch. "You want me to just call you Legion?"

' _It has...a nice sound to it._ '

"Alright."

She switches to hot water to blast herself clean as soon as it runs clear.

A pile of white and blue clothes wait for her when she peeks out of the room, on a tall stool set in the right corner closest to the door, a pair of black combat boots beside it on the ground. She pulls on the white tank top and the white high-waisted shorts, then the knee-high socks to slip her feet into the boots, then she throws the hooded coat over her arm before stepping out into the hallway- she stumbles when Legion drags her by the back of her shorts toward them and lays their crest against the top of her head. Their fingers wander to her lower back, _down her shorts_ and- and they pull back, reaching out over her shoulder to drop a...a small green chip, into her palm.

"Wha- that's a listening device?" Her partner hums. Well...it...makes sense they'd want to keep her under surveillance. She turns the chip over with her nail and clicks the switch to off, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "Thanks. Maybe give me a warning next time, though."

They pulse with affection and amusement and crumble apart into their core.

* * *

## Exchange

"You didn't use up all the hot water, did ya?"

She blinks at Kyle as he sets down an armchair- a second armchair opposite the first one, where the couch used to be. Well, she did spend three days on that couch sleeping in her own filth...urgh. Another guy clad in grey and orange hovers around with a broom in hand, which he almost drops when he turns to her, a black helmet with a giant hologram of...an eye on the front? Do they all wear those? She shakes her head and steps fully past the holographic wall to approach the duo.

"I take my shower with cold water, so I doubt it."

Kyle stares at her. "You _really_ aren't human."

She rolls her eyes, dropping into the leather cushions, Legion's core coming down to float above her thighs, radiating warmth. "Does it matter? I'm still fighting for the right reasons." She looks at the stranger and tilts her head. "I'm guessing you're one of the other Hermits?"

"Yeah!" The guy says, obviously smiling behind his mask. "I'm Zagir Sugou, but Zag's fine, everybody calls me Zag. I carried ya here on my back! And I stopped Alek from tryin' to turn your brain into pudding!"

"Uh...what?" She glances at Kyle.

He groans. "Aleksei's just trigger happy. What'd your reaction be when there's a monster twice your size who just wrecked half a dozen chimeras in a blink?"

"That's fair." She turns her attention back to the other guy. He sounds so...innocent. But he's siding with the Hermits. But he helped her. "Thanks for the save. Zag."

He nods eagerly. "S'no probs! You saved our asses too, killin' off that huge chimera. The clothes alright for you?"

She hums and adjusts the band of her new shorts. "You have a good fashion sense. The listening device was a bit out of style, though."

"Uh."

Kyle explodes into laughter as he vaults over the top of the second armchair, falling into his seat with a dull 'fwhomp.' "Ah, figured you'd find it. Goddamn cops. Hey, can't blame me for trying to spy on ya, all things considered, yeah?"

"No, it makes sense, really." She shrugs and leans back into the oversized chair. "I can't expect you to trust an officer of the law, now, can I? Even if I don't look like it."

"Promise I got nothin' else! Wouldn't do to treat a new friend badly."

She raises an eyebrow. " _Friends_? I'm not friends with you."

He only grins at her in response. "Alright, well, ideological differences aside, _I_ respect the kind of strength needed to turn a chimera's skull inside out. You hungry?"

Is she? Her stomach could definitely use something more than protein bars, for sure. "I guess? I haven't eaten properly in weeks. I'm not sure I remember what being hungry feels like."

"Congee is pretty easy on the belly," Zag mutters, jumping up to sit on the table beside her, and a small refrigerator rolls on through the holographic wall, over to Kyle with a beep. He leans forward, tapping a rhythm on its top as he shuffles things inside, then pulls out a plastic container and a black can that she just barely has time to catch before it hits her in the forehead. The plastic container gets into her hands more gently, a plastic spoon taped to its top, and she lifts open the cover. Oh, steam rises up into her eyes from...

"What...is that?"

"You never had congee before?" Zag asks.

"It's the local grub," Kyle replies, closing up the insulated robot and sending it back on its way. "Rice boiled in chicken broth. Only thing you'll eat for fourteen meals outta twenty-one! If you're lucky, you might even get to top it with somethin'."

"Huh. And this?" She shakes the black can.

"Hermitonic! It's our own special recipe. Nothing better to boost ya up when you're feelin' down!"

"Yeah, I'm not drinking your mystery liquid, I have my limits."

Kyle sighs and throws his head back. "It's just coffee with hot sauce in it, goddamn!"

Coffee with... "You guys drink this? And you say _I'm_ not human?"

"It's good!"

Yeah, not drinking that. She frees and digs her spoon into the...congee? Warm, salty rice pops under her teeth.

"So, how about you tell me how you ended up comin' out of a gate?"

She looks up to Kyle and drums her fingers on the armrest. Criminals or not, Yoseph doesn't deserve that she keep his secrets. "I'm part, or was part, of a special police force called Neuron, made by Yoseph Calvert to counter the chimeras. _Supposedly._ Anyway, we were on a case, and I got dragged into a gate by a chimera. The rest of my squad helped take it down, but I had to stay behind to allow them to escape, then I spent two weeks wandering around in there, until I came upon that black chimera."

"Huh. Y'all got one of those things glued to you?" Kyle points at her Legion's core.

She scowls. "They're not ' _things,_ ' we call them Legions. They're as intelligent as any of us. Probably more."

"Not a high bar to clear!" He chuckles. "A Legion...how's one to get his hands on one of 'em?"

"They're only manufactured by the ARI and distributed to Neuron's members." She takes a few more bites and sighs. "They usually come in these cradles called Legatus, and they have to be adjusted to each Legionis. You're not getting one that easily. Besides, there's only five of them in existence, and two of them are accounted for, mine and my brother's. The other three went rogue."

"Aw, shame. We could use more firepower. They all turn you into mean monsters like that?"

"No. That was just...because I'd have died otherwise. I could have died _from_ it."

"Yeah, I don't think anyone human could have fixed you up."

Silence settles down over them for a few minutes, only interrupted by the clicks of plastic against plastic. She clears her throat. "How are you guys even able to see chimeras, anyway? You don't have a Legion, and you don't seem like you're anywhere close to redshifting."

"Huh? Oh." Kyle brings his legs up over the armrest of his chair to lie down in it. "We got this...ah, I guess you could call it a drug, this _drug_ called Blue Evolve that makes us able to see _and_ fight 'em." She almost spits out her mouthful and slaps a hand over her nose as the rice tries to get up her sinuses. Oh _fuck._ "It ain't just useful against chimeras, either. It makes us stronger, faster, _and_ it stops redshift."

"No, it doesn't."

"What?"

She coughs into the crook of her elbow, blinking back tears. "It doesn't. I know the drug you're talking about, and it's a sham. It doesn't stop redshift, it causes it. It's what kicked off the Pandemic. It's just human blood extracted from redshifting patients at the ARI."

Kyle's 'huh?' gets buried under Zag's gagging and retching.

"Where the hell did you hear that? Kyle growls.

"I have-" She reaches for her pockets and stops. Shit. She doesn't have the data card anymore, and her Legatus is junk in the Astral Plane. "I _had_ this data card from Jena with files from the ARI. Her and Yoseph pulled blood from their patients a few decades ago. It's this bright purple liquid in a glass vial, right?"

"Shit, boss, that's-"

"Maybe it is," Kyle cuts in. "How'd you know it's the same thing? Ain't none of us looking like aberrations here."

"Well, where are you getting it from?"

He huffs and crosses his arms behind his head. "A guy named Douglas. What about it?"

"Baumann?" That's what Jena had called him, right?

"Hell if I know. He said his name's Douglas, and he didn't offer much else. We don't ask questions, we're not cops. You know the guy?"

"Not enough to know he's trustworthy." She sighs, massaging her forehead. "Look, maybe just don't. Take it for a while? Next time he comes around, I'll have proof for you; Legion can clear it up." Their core flares up in response.

Kyle taps the side of his boot on top of his knee. "Yeah? I'll hold you to that, then, Howard. Blue Evolve's the only thing keepin' us all alive. Anyway, we're outta stock for the week, so no one's gonna be chugging it down."

She nods and scrapes up the last few grains of rice at the bottom of her bowl, popping the spoon into her mouth as she turns to look out the window, staring at the few lights below dwindling out into darkness. What's the point of distributing Blue Evolve here? To take out the Hermits? They might be dangerous, but they don't need to _die._ And why the Pandemic? Why the outbreak in Central City?

"I think I gotta go lie down," Zag sighs.

Maybe Yoseph's creating more problems for him to solve to make himself look better. Create Legions to fight the chimeras, bring in more chimeras to justify using the Legions.

"Yeah, it's late enough. Early? Fuck, I dunno. You can take one of the spare rooms, Howard."

She blinks and looks back to Kyle. "Huh?"

"I said, you can take one of the spare rooms," He enunciates slowly. "This building's bigger than all of us need, we got enough place for a guest. Besides, you ain't goin' anywhere at this hour, are ya? Even if you had the authorization to get past the Wall, nobody's around on this side at four in the morning."

What would happen if she tried to go back, anyway? The only choice she has is to fall back under Yoseph's boot. "I don't think I can go back right now. I don't have any ID, and I think I'm technically considered KIA. Besides, I need to find Jena first, figure out what her plan is."

"Well!" Kyle stretches his arms over his head. "I can see about helpin' you track her down tomorrow. If she's still around, ain't no hiding from the Hermits."

She frowns. They do know the place better than her. "Fine. But don't think that makes us friends."

* * *

## Associate

People bustle about the open square, young and old trading about little crafts to each other or giving away their stocks with a smile and small conversation, children running about playing tag or hide-and-seek, a few hooded persons sitting around and welding together pieces of scrap metal into figurines or wrapping lengths of copper in old tire rubber. Cashchips only flash out once or twice, for boxes bigger than a human being, and to shadier people keeping themselves as much out of sight as they can when all the storefronts are plastered with holographic signs in neon shades. She flips her own hood up, stuffing her hands in the deep pockets of the white coat while she strides past the small crowd gathered around the bright red tables under the large purple sign reading 'Upper Congee.' No signs of Jena. She raises an eyebrow at the curtains of little IV bags hanging from the walls of the hut and jogs up the stairs.

"I told you, it's one bowl per meal, Perkins! Otherwise, it's a 100 G! You know that!"

"Aw, come on! I don't have that!"

"Them's the rules!"

A family huddles around a fire set inside a barrel, under a red tarp hung between two metal plates. A man digs through the junk in the dark corner of the alley.

"The Hermits? Stay away from them!" A woman screeches. "They may act nice, but I know they're a vicious gang deep down!"

"R-really? But aren't they the ones stopping us from turning into those...things?"

"Hey! Don't touch my Hermitonic! It's mine!"

Following the serpentine path takes her to a set of stairs leading up to a barricade made up of pieces of chain link fence and sheets of rusted steel attached together with bolts and zip-ties, guarded by one grey hoodie and one black hoodie. Black hoodie pushes away from the wall he's leaning against, shifting his grip on the length of piping in his hand. Grey hoodie raises his arm in front of his buddy.

"Relax, man, she's the boss' girl."

What. "I am _not_ his 'girl.'"

Grey curls into himself. "Er, nah, I mean, you're the girl they brought back, aren't ya? The boss must've had a good reason to bring in a cop." She glares at him. "Anyway, you wanna go out? Got a pass? Ain't gonna risk the boss ripping me a new one."

She pulls the small black card from her pocket and offers it out. Grey nods at her, then at his pal, and the two of them open up the barricade, letting her slip through before they close it back up behind her. A few heads turn to her while she takes in her surroundings. Just more junk and rust, everything painted orange by the red matter hanging in the air, the giant logo of the UNION looming over them all. She drops past the ladder and pushes on further toward the Containment Wall, past rickety ramps and piping between buildings until she stands on the edge of the penthouse under her, stands into the shadows of the Ark above her.

There's dozens of people here. Dozens of people just trying to eke out a living and the UNION isn't lifting a finger? Sending in some helicopters to evacuate them wouldn't be such a huge problem.

"Hey, officer."

She blinks out of her thoughts and looks down. The black helmet of a Hermit lights up the wall of the penthouse as he, in turn, looks up.

"Havin' fun touring the place?" He says, voice gravelly. Old. What was his name already? "We don't got a lot of attractions, but I bet it's a hell of a lot different than how you guys play it outside."

"Yeah, I guess it is. Have you seen Jena?"

"Not hide or hair."

"Alright. I'll go check somewhere else, then." She turns on her heel and walks-

"Hey, hey, wait!"

She sighs and looks back over her shoulder, the Hermit now hanging over the edge, arms crossed against the roof, chin resting on the raised border. Guy must have a really strong core.

"You just gonna leave like that? How 'bout you stick around and chat with an old man?"

"Old man or not, you still side with the Hermits. I don't support terrorism."

"Even if it's to protect ourselves _from_ terrorism?"

"What?" She narrows her eyes. "From who? _The UNION?_ Come on, they're not terrorists."

"What, you don't think this is political violence, love?" He gestures to the Wall. "Keepin' an entire group of people who got a bone to pick with ya behind a giant wall where they might die is pretty classic political violence! How about something more local to you? Your job. If you lose it, what happens? No more credit to pay the rent, no more food, no more water. If you're lucky, you have friends who'd help you, but your government won't raise a finger for ya. If you're not, well...that'd make anyone too afraid to complain."

That's...a good point. Wait. No! No! "Have you tried just being nice, maybe?"

The Hermit laughs low in his chest. "Oh, plenty 'a times. We begged the UNION for help like we were prayin' to our gods above."

A dull thump resounds as he hoists himself up into a crouch onto the roof. He reaches toward the back of his helmet, and two snaps precede an avalanche of grey dreadlocks, revealing wrinkled black skin and steel grey eyes that crease at the corners when he smiles. "Ten, twenty, a hundred times? I've been around for a while, officer. Before Kyle, the Hermits, we tried doin' things peacefully. We'd just pull up to the Wall and chat to the cops there, or we'd send messages outside, anythin' to get some help. Then they started rotating in new officers every couple 'a days, and they cracked down on security, to make sure we couldn't ever make any connection to the outside. And when we protested, they started shootin'. That's how it's always been. The terms change, but it's the same fight. Now they got 'human-safe' rounds instead of non-lethal bullets."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Course not." The Hermit smirks. "You're one of the lucky ones. You got a cozy job and a nice social score that lets you escape the worst they got to offer, and the people 'round you, they've grown complacent. We weren't that lucky. Kyle may be a dumb kid, but he knows what injustice tastes like, and he got enough anger to let loose the fire burnin' inside all of us, and it won't die without bringin' the UNION down with it."

She runs short of breath. "You- you want to destroy the UNION?!"

"You make it sound so much more violent than it is!" He shakes his head and raises his palms to the sky. "For now, all we wanna do is overwhelm Central enough that we get some awareness about our situation. We can use that as leverage to force the UNION to help the Uppers, and to plant some doubts in people's hearts about the legitimacy of their authority. Then we slowly redistribute their power, organize people into smaller, more manageable communes like Sector V, all workin' together like a true community."

She blinks at him while he nods to himself. "Why...are you telling me this? I'm an officer."

"'Cuz you seem like a good person, just misinformed. You got your heart in the right place, and the UNION convinced ya they can be your moral system. I think you just need some time to consider if being legal means something's good." He spins his helmet in his hands and carefully puts it back on. "Ya know, back in the day, everybody sort of agreed that choosing your leaders was the right way to do things. Then everything collapsed and the UNION made themselves kings of Hot Shit Mountain. Anyway, I can't force ya to do anythin'. Just give it a think. I'll see ya later."

The sound of his boots fade away in the distance. She sighs and opens her hand, the black pass emblazoned with the mechanical skull and angular eye of the Hermits.

One of the lucky ones...if she hadn't been lucky, she'd still be strapped to an operating table at the ARI. If she hadn't been lucky, she could have been left to die here in Zone 09. Max was the one who had saved her.

"I just don't get it." Legion forms and settles into a hover at her side. "It's the UNION's job to protect their citizens, no? I mean, I serve the people...right?"

' _Masters do not exist to protect. They exist to control. Your protection is only a side effect of your captivity, not a genuine effort to care._ '

She looks up at them. "Masters? They're not...my masters..."

They tilt their head to the side. ' _You believe they are righteous even in the face of evidence to the contrary. How is your obedience different from the chimeras' toward our own masters?_ '

"I'm not being controlled!"

' _It is not always easy to recognize it as control without the right...circumstances._ '

"I'm not..." She curls her fingers into the fabric of her coat. "I just want to do what's best for everyone."

"What a lofty goal."

With a yelp, she startles and spins on her heel, her Sword snarling and flashing their blades- only to both stop at the sight of blonde hair and blue eyes and a stained white coat.

"Jena!"

The woman in question raises an eyebrow and, and smiles, a small upturn of the corner of her lips. "I heard you were looking for me."

How did she...? Akane carefully steps toward her. "I have...so many questions. Where-"

"Not here. Follow me." She blinks and shuts her mouth and hurries after the click clack of Jena's heels back down the steps and around two corners to the back of the stairs, where Jena snaps her fingers, splitting a gate into existence in an explosion of red particles and cubes.

An acrid taste slithers up into the back of her throat. "The Ark has eyes and ears everywhere."

She grimaces. "I don't really feel like being in the Astral Plane with you has a great track record for me."

Jena shifts and looks away. "I did not know who you were when we first met. I thought you were simply another fool to Yoseph's side. I know better now, and I have no intention of trapping you there again. In fact, I'm here to ask for your assistance. A friend of yours is also in need of your presence."

"A...friend?" She groans and drags her hand down her face. "Well, you're lucky this is the day to turn my world upside-down. Legion?"

They slip one arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees, and she jumps slightly to sit on their forearm before they follow Jena through the gate, everything burning red behind her eyelids for a moment as they step into the breach, then black as the pillars finish their ascent toward the green and purple sky, isolating the main landmass from the rest of the Astral Plane. She opens her eyes just as Legion leans forward to let her back down onto the stone, and they place their hand between her shoulder blades.

"Akane?"

She looks up. The small yellow drone hovers uncertainly down and toward her, and she gasps and smiles and runs to meet him halfway. "Hal! So you're the 'friend!' Oh, what are you _doing_ here? Wait. Is Akira alright?!"

"Um. Yeah, he's alright, for now," Hal stutters out. "I helped him out like you asked me. He managed to recapture the Arrow Legion, but Yoseph...Yoseph has him testing out a new Legion prototype."

"Nothing Yoseph does sound good, but..." She smiles and sighs. "At least Aki's alive."

"Right..." Hal slowly spins around her, the drone's propulsion fan whirring loudly in the silence of the Astral Plane, while Jena walks over to them. "What _happened_ to you? My scans keep spitting out garbage."

"She merged with her Legion," Jena pipes up. A sad smile breaks over her lips. "Didn't you?"

Akane frowns and nods, holding a hand to her chest. "Yeah. After we split up in the Astral Plane, I fought against those chimeras. Managed to take down a few, but...they're stronger than they used to be. I was stabbed...right through the chest. Nothing else could have saved me."

"Holy crap, Akane," Hal gasps. "You...are still Akane, right?"

"Of course I am!" She laughs. "It's not like we're different persons now. I'm still me, and Legion is still Legion. Just...a bit more of each other than we used to be."

"Neither human nor chimera," Jena says. "Even Yoseph only recently considered it more than a theory. Another reason why you should be kept as far away from him as possible."

"Yoseph? What does Yoseph have to do with this?" Akane crosses her arms. "Look, you asked me to follow you, with the expectation that you'd answer my questions, and now we're here. So, what's your business with me? Why is Hal here?"

"Um. I came here to investigate the distribution of Blue Evolve in Zone 09," Hal says as he shakes himself, his chassis ringing with small clinks. "The things you said about it made me worried enough that I started reading the rest of the files on the data card after I got out of the Astral Plane. When I saw the stuff about Sector V, I couldn't ignore it. What else was I gonna do but get a look at it all myself? The government won't lift a finger for Zone 09."

She frowns, leaning her weight to one side. "There's a group of...people here, the Hermits, who get it from a man named Douglas." She glances at Jena. "I don't know him, but I bet it's the guy you were looking for, right?"

"Baumann is one of the researchers working at Yoseph's laboratory. If _this_ Douglas is distributing ARI products, perhaps."

"So that's why the Hermits suddenly grew in power," Hal mutters. "Blue Evolve has stimulating properties, that's what the notes said, right?"

"The Astral Spark is a near endless source of energy," Jena says. "Chimeras require no sustenance, Legions give inhuman strength, aberrations continue to fight no matter the pain they are in."

Akane drums her fingers on her arm. "The Hermits are using it to fight against the chimeras. I told them what it was, but I don't think their leader believes me. Says they won't survive without it."

"Blue Evolve will make their problems worse. Zone 09 only has so many chimeras because of its presence within the area."

"Then we stop Douglas," Hal declares.

"I can take care of that." She clenches her fists. "Whether he's doing it knowingly or not, I'm not letting him put more people in danger."

Hal chuckles. "Thanks, Akane. That's a weight off my chest."

"That doesn't really explain why you're _here_ with Jena, though."

"Oh, well, I ran into her once I got past the Wall," Hal explains excitedly. "She told me you were here, and she helped me solve that weird cipher on the files I couldn't crack! Turns out it was based on the frequencies of the membrane of a gate, and all I had to do was match up the spikes and valleys to quantum bits, and then I-"

"Hal."

He shakes himself again. "Right, that doesn't really matter. Anyway, I read through those too, and...Yoseph is really doing some messed up stuff..." Static pops as he takes a deep breath. "And he did some really messed stuff to you and Akira."

She swallows and wets her lips. "Jena already implied he was responsible for the Pandemic. What...kind of stuff?"

"Um. The Pandemic was...planned. The whole thing, from where the outbreak would take place, to what kind of response the UNION should take, how and when to contain the outbreak, at what time _precisely_ the Containment Wall should be raised. Yoseph provided the UNION with a detailed list of everything. All of it in the hope of creating...you."

"Someone like you, to be more precise," Jena's voice filters through the buzzing in her ears. "Several women in Zone 09 who desired children were artificially inseminated for their birth date to coincide with the outbreak. You were simply the ones lucky enough to survive."

Why. Why? Why?!

"Yoseph did a lot of experiments on children and chimeras. The more someone is exposed to red matter early in life, the higher their resistance, and the chimeras...seem more docile around them, which correlates with a higher synchronization rate with a Legion. So...the Pandemic was a way of creating the perfect Legionis candidate. I guess they decided Zone 09 was a worthy sacrifice..."

She grinds her teeth together. " _Why?_ "

Hal tilts his drone down. "I don't know, sorry."

"Whatever it is, your twin appears to have been taken as a replacement," Jena sighs. "Yoseph only seems to require a powerful Legionis and a subject open enough to his manipulation."

"I'm going to kill him."

"You stand no chance."

"What the hell do I care?! Nobody touches my brother!" She takes a step forward, barring her teeth, Legion responding to her anger with their own. "Since when do you care about us, anyway?!"

Jena steps forth to meet her. "I participated in the project. I never knew its full scale, but I am as guilty of this sin upon you as Yoseph is. It is _my_ duty to stop him."

"And _how_ are you gonna do that? What's the difference in who gets rid of him?"

The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end just before a shrill screech tears through the air. Large, stubby purple tentacles flop against the top of the pillars, one, two, three, four, five, six then muscle fibres in the vague shape of an arm, and one-two-three-four-five-six, another arm, pulling up a neck thicker than her entire body, leading to a flat face covered in a mask of white bone. The _thing_ crawls up over the edge, chest dragging against the stone, and latches on to their side of the pillars before its entire head _splits open in quarters_ to scream past the four flaps of flesh studded with asymmetrical fangs.

She looks back at Jena as the woman snaps her fingers, and the creature skitters down to push its face into the open palm of her hand. Its red, beady eyes lock onto Legion while Jena strokes its mask. "Yoseph is only a symptom of the tumour that grows within our society."

"What. Is that?" Hal squeaks, floating as far away from Jena as possible.

"An homunculus," she replies. "Created from my own data housed within a Legion's core. This one is only in infancy, but it has shown itself capable of breaking down and absorbing red matter better and faster than anything else. Chimeras, aberrations, even the Astral Plane itself falls to pieces beneath its power, and as it grows, it will evolve its own cell structure to respond to incoming threats. A body of them could have contained the Pandemic with few casualties."

It can...eat the Astral Plane? Akane slides her feet apart slightly. Dammit, she could really use a weapon here.

"I will show them there is another way," Jena hisses. "And I will destroy every. Sliver. Of trust Yoseph has been given before his life is extinguished. However, there is a...problem."

"What? It doesn't look horrifying enough?"

"The homunculi require training, and a master to guide them." Jena looks at her through a curtain of blonde hair. No, no no no. "A Legionis to establish a connection with them and show them the way, and subdue them if they grow out of control."

She takes a step back. "Wha- me?"

"That, uh, seems like a lot of responsibility," Hal says.

Jena nods. "You are free to refuse. I will not be like Yoseph. The homunculi may be less efficient without you, but they will fulfill their duty."

Akane frowns. The...creature looks between the two of them with its four little eyes, whining when Jena takes away her hand. Legion leans forward over her shoulder.

' _Do you trust her?_ '

' _She hasn't...outright done anything to hurt me. And everything she's brought forth about Yoseph seems true enough._ ' She pushes her thumb and index against her eyelids. "Can I have time to think about it?"

"Of course," Jena replies without hesitation. "Two months from now, I will return here."

"Wait, two _months?!_ "

"The homunculi require time to grow. If you choose to help, then train yourself further in the meantime. If you refuse, I will never ask again." Her eyes darken. "However, for whatever reason, in the event you decide to give yourself back to Yoseph, know that you _will_ be my enemy."

"Going back to him sounds as pleasant as pulling my own teeth out...but whatever. Fine."

"Then I will take my leave now. Howard." Jena gives a pat to the...homunculus' chin. "This little one will stay within Zone 09 and help dispose of the chimeras and the red matter plaguing the area. Tell these...Hermits, that they do not need to worry about it anymore."

Akane nods. "I'll try. I don't know if they'll take that argument, but...thank you, Jena."

Jena turns her back to her. "Perhaps it's time for me to seek change."

The sun stabs into her eyes as Legion leads her back out of the Astral Plane. Hal hovers around to her side.

"You're really amazing, you know? I don't think I have the mental fortitude to deal with all that."

She hums and crouches down and rests her forehead against her knees. "What are you going to do now, Hal?"

"Um, well, I guess you and Jena have Sector V covered. I don't want to leave Akira all alone when Yoseph is trying to use him for his experiments, so...I guess I'll be sneaking back out of here."

"Akira, huh?" She smiles. "I told you you'd like him."

"Yeah, we, uh, kinda went on a date last week?"

She shoots straight up to her feet. "You what?!"

Hal stutters and flies back. "W-well, it wasn't really a, a date, you know, he was just, uh, being nice as thanks for helping him out, and! He invited me! To the, um, biosphere. And he bought me a new sticker."

"Oh my god, that's adorable."

"It was just a one-time thing! I just...think it'd be sad if he stopped being...a good person. He didn't mind my rambling, and he seemed to actually care about the problems here. I can't let Yoseph take that away." He sighs, then perks up. "Oh, before I leave, though, here." The data card pops out of the drone's reader with a click. "It contains all the files concerning what we talked about. I'm sure Kyle will understand once he sees everything on there."

She pulls the card out and frowns. "Wait. You know Kyle?"

"Um, yeah. We used to be...friends? Sort of? Zone 09 is my home."

"Oh."

"I still keep a shelter here, all the way down near the Wall, for the people who didn't want to follow him. We have gate detectors and modified drones to defend the area."

"So you're not friends anymore?"

"Well, I think...he considers me a coward," Hal mumbles. "I guess I kind of am. I couldn't be the kind of leader Sector V needed, and the UNION took advantage of my passivity to brutalize the people here."

The UNION needs to pay for what they did. She flips the card over and over. "Do you think what the Hermits are doing is...right? Causing all this chaos outside for the UNION."

"Uh...depends what you mean by 'right.' Is what they're doing morally good? I don't think so. Is it necessary? Probably, yeah. The people in power won't just let themselves be taken out of power."

She nods. "Right. Thanks, Hal. Keep an eye on Aki for me, okay?"

"You asked me to keep him safe. I'll do my best, Akane."

* * *

## Preparation

The group of Hermits turn their one-eyed helmets to her as one, lit up in pale red by the bulbs above, gathered around the metal grids of their fighting cage. Her boots clang against the ramp as she steps up to meet Kyle, standing against a giant, bright red screen, surrounded by red drapes, dozens of cables hanging above his head. He rolls his shoulders and opens up his arms.

"Like what you see?"

She shifts her grip on the short sword, running her thumb over the rough surface of the handle. "Sorry, the helmet's a bit of a deal breaker."

"That's fair. The whole 'inhuman' bit is kind of a turn-off for me!" He laughs. "Now, come on, gimme a good fight, Howard!"

The door slams closed behind her. Kyle pushes himself off into a run and jumps off the edge of his platform, soaring and spinning through the air with a maniacal laugh. His sword comes flying at her out of his pirouette, the hunk of metal slamming into the metal floor with a thunk as she steps backward, and the magnet snaps it straight up in time for Kyle to land feet first onto the tip of the handle. Arcs of electricity explode in a large radius around his weapon, sparks licking at her arms.

"Don't go easy on me," Kyle sings from his perch.

She steps in with a stab and he backflips off his sword, spinning on himself as he lands to try to get a hit in on her. She leaps away, snaps her arm out and slices through the arm of his jacket when he sheathes his sword, but he drops to the ground to avoid her follow-up, pushing himself into an upward kick that she wraps her arms around. His head smacks against the floor before she lets him go, only for him to roll backward into a dash in the blink of an eye and slam his fist into her stomach.

She grits her teeth while she gathers some distance between them. Dammit, he's fast. No. No, she's just out of practice without Legion backing her up.

"What's wrong? That all you got? I'm just starting to enjoy myself! Come on, I told ya, don't go easy on me!" He curls into himself and raises his hand over the handle of his sword. "Your partner won't help you?"

Not now. He dives right in, cloaked in yellow sparks, charging straight at her. She pulls her arm back and- her slash goes through thin air, Kyle twisting around her- she yelps when her head snaps to the side, gloves creaking around her ponytail.

"Got ya!"

She scowls. Ah, fuck it. "Legion!"

Space bends and time screeches to a crawl, and her Sword materializes above her, blades plunging down and tearing through her hair. She swings around and slashes down.

"What the-" Kyle hisses and blocks her with his sword, opening himself up for Legion to grab him by the arm and the bottom of his helmet and lift him into the air, slamming him down into the ground.

She moves a few paces away while he coughs and scrambles back to his feet, laughing.

"Wicked! Absolutely wicked! So _that's_ a Legion, huh?" Legion snarls at him. "Ah, you can feel it too, can't you? The sheer _thrill of battle!_ "

He opens back up with a lunge, and she leans aside, letting the slab of metal pass her by before she buries the side of her boot into his flank, falls against her Legion's arm and delivers both feet straight into his holographic grin. He flops and stumbles back.

Something hits the tip of her other boot- dust explodes into a cloud around her.

She shuts her eyes and scowls. "Oh, that's not fair!"

"What, ya think the UNION's gonna fight fair?"

Kyle runs and jumps and she stops his strike with the flat of the short sword, metal screaming as the two blades drag against each other. His grin twists into a grimace. Legion roars and swipes at him with their claws, pushing him back, and she springs forward and kicks out his knee, winding back her leg again to drive her boot into his solar plexus as he falls.

He drops to the floor with a groan, his sword along with him.

' _Was that necessary?_ ' Legion murmurs.

' _Probably not. Felt good, though._ '

"You're incredible," Kyle pants from his curled up position. "You're amazing. Quick. Decisive. Can I have a dozen of you?"

She huffs. "I'm okay dealing with just one of me."

He laughs and slowly picks himself up, lifts his sword over his shoulder- and lets it drop back on its magnets. She jumps when alarms blare and the door rolls open. "Alright, I think we can make somethin' out of this. Two months, huh? Yeah."

The Hermits stare at her Legion. They curl their claws and wrap themselves around her.

"That! Was! So! Awesome!" Win...ston yells, jumping and pumping his arms. "Woo! I've never seen someone fight like that! I'm shaking just thinking about it!"

"Tch. It was two against one," another mutters. "Kyle would've won in a straight fight."

"Shut the hell up, Aleksei! Look at that thing! It has claws and fangs and it can create goddamn swords!"

"They!" She stops and glares at him. "They. Are not. _A thing._ "

Winston raises his hands defensively. "Sorry."

"Alright, come with me," Kyle calls over his shoulder. "The rest of you, quit gawking! Sheesh."

She follows after him back to the Hermits' meeting room. The sun sets down behind the Wall, everything below turned to burnished copper, skyscrapers black teeth in the distant horizon. She glances back at Kyle as he drags his steel chair to the middle of the room.

"What-"

"Sit down." He gestures to the chair with one hand, the other digging through his pockets. "Your hair's a goddamn mess. Ya know you didn't have to do that, right? Aiming for my hand would've been better. Ah!" He pulls out a little black leather slip and slides a pair of shiny scissors out of it. "Come on, sit down!"

She narrows her eyes. "You want to cut my hair? _You?_ "

"Who d'ya think does _my_ hair? I'm not letting someone make a mess out of it!"

Huh. She shakes her head and drops into the chair. Legion hovers over to her side. "Don't cut off too much."

"I'm just gonna fix it up!" A towel falls around her shoulders before thick, calloused fingers brush against her cheek, picking out large portions of her hair, the scissors getting to work with a few snip-snip-snips. Legion's fingers stroke her cheek from the other side. "They gonna flit over you the whole time?"

"You're holding a sharp implement to my head."

"You survived getting your guts ripped open. What am I gonna do? Stab you with scissors?"

Both of them fall into silence while steel cuts through strands of hair, clumps falling around her. She sighs and leans back, letting Kyle tilt her head this way and that. He starts humming to himself and ruffles the back of her hair before he moves around to her bangs, the strands tickling her nose, then he fluffs them up and takes a step back. "Done."

A short, layered bob cut. Huh. She stands and brushes her shoulders. "Thanks, Kyle."

He knocks the chair against the floor a few times. "Yeah, sure."

She takes up the broom from the corner and sweeps up behind him.

She needs to apologize. For not believing him. "Hey. Um."

"What?"

"Uh." She rubs the back of her neck, and...and pats down her shorts, pulling out the data card from her side pocket to offer it out to him. "Here. There's, um, all the information on Blue Evolve and everything Yoseph did. I got it from Jena. Hal told me to give it to you."

"Hal?" Kyle leans in and looks at her with shock. "That asshole's still alive?"

"Er. Yeah. Didn't split on good terms?"

"He left the Hermits behind and just fucked off. What a leader!"

A leader...? "Wait. Wait a minute. Are you saying he was the leader of the Hermits? _Hal?_ We're talking about the same guy, right? Skittish, nerdy, stutters half the time?"

"Do you know a lotta guys called Hal?" Kyle says.

"Ah...I guess not." She taps her foot. "I just can't imagine him as your leader. Especially now that he's working alongside Neuron to take down the chimeras."

Kyle grimaces as he takes the card from her hand. "Ew, he's working with the cops now? At least he ain't a real one."

"Yeah..." She gnaws her bottom lip and takes a deep breath. "Hey, I'm...sorry, Kyle."

"Huh?"

"For blowing up at you yesterday. I had time to think about it, and...I don't know if I agree with what you're doing, but I don't have the right perspective to judge you that harshly. I got a huge reality check today about what the UNION is really like."

Kyle stares at her in silence for a few awkward seconds. "What?"

"What what?"

He laughs, shaking his head. "Never had a cop apologize to me. And you're even sincere about it!"

"Uh, yeah? I've been taught that lying is bad."

"Aw, ain't you daddy's little girl."

She huffs and crosses her arms. "Shut up! I am _not._ "

"Yeah, yeah." He waves his hand through the air. "Anyway, water under the bridge! I already told ya, I got nothing against you, personally. But, hey, if you wanna kick some ass for us, you're more than welcome!"

" _Thanks,_ Kyle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge delay between chapters, everyone. December was a tough month of a tough year, enough to drain me of all motivation to write, and since this chapter is the end of the "first act," I didn't want to mess it up. I'm hoping things slow down a little, but I'm not abandoning this story.
> 
> Fun fact: the title of this chapter is the first thing I came up with, and when I searched for dictionary definitions of 'conspiracy,' I went, hm, maybe that's not right, it's not like they're gonna do crimes, until I realized that, planning to murder a government official is probably a crime.


	9. File 09 [Attachment]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal or the like; devotion, loyalty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains sexual content between a human and non-human being. You have been warned.

## Body

Her shoulders curl in, gaze flitting between the wall of illuminated screens and the man with the one-eyed helmet named Dimitri, hunched over his creation, over his disorganized creation of a hundred cables and half as many switches he continually flicks back and forth, the viewpoint of the displays changing with each movement of the mechanisms.

"See anything, Legion?"

They slowly turn their head to look down at...Winston, was it? They raise their hands shoulder width and hold up their index and thumb, then twist both hands around.

"Uh...that mean something?"

"It's sign language!" Zagir says, repeating the gesture. "Me and Akane have been practicin' it with 'em!"

"You know sign language?" Winston asks.

"I meet a lot of non-verbal and deaf people on the job," Akane clarifies. "That one means no, by the way. We share our senses. I'd tell you if they saw him."

"Woah, what?" Winston bends forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "How's that work? Doesn't that fuck with your brain?"

"Not really. Legions only have sight and touch, they see sound waves and speak telepathically. What they see is just layered on top of what I see, and I can feel their body as if it's mine."

"Woah. That sounds rough. Well, if I had to share a brain with anyone, I guess it wouldn't be so bad to share it with my wife, huh?"

Wife...? Akane rolls her eyes as Winston laughs.

"There he is," Kyle interrupts. He points to the fifth screen of the third column from his seat upon the armrest of his chair; a small shape of a human passes under the Japanese signage of Sector V Neo-Cybercity to be swallowed by the metal maw of the barricade. The wall flickers again to continue following the marked man while he moves through the alleyways, down stairs and ladders with a briefcase clutched to his body, placing it to his chest as he comes face to face with the Hermits' security detail; they exchange words in their faux delinquent facade before letting him through the path into Kyle's abode, and Akane jumps to her feet once the cameras lose sight of the new arrival. They drift away from the displays and back to her side.

Kyle kicks his feet into the air and rolls over to seat himself properly into the cushions, moments before the projected light field distorts as the thin man walks into the room. The Hermit named Charles slots himself into the entrance, and the man freezes, then whips back and forth, eyes bulging behind the glass of his white spectacles, the effect accentuated by his emaciated face.

"You- wait, w-what is this?" He stammers. "Kyle!"

"Woah, hey, relax." Kyle waves his hands. "We just wanna make sure you don't run off."

"T-this isn't what we agreed! You, you were supposed to be alone!"

"For the deal, yeah. I never said I had to be alone if I had some questions for ya."

The man audibly swallows. "That's...if this is about your name, I swear I didn't-"

"Nah, I believe you," Kyle says, and he pulls the data card out of his pocket, holding it up in the air. "Y'see, an old buddy of mine by the name of Hal Clark recently got in contact with me through a mutual...acquaintance."

"Wait, Hal's alive?" The Hermit named Jake gasps.

Akane scowls and leans in. "You didn't tell them about anything, did you? What is wrong with you?"

"Now, this chip was apparently from our good ol' Director, so I figured, anyone can fake a buncha text," Kyle continues. "But Hal's a clever bastard, his signature's all over this thing, and he may be chickenshit, but a liar he ain't! So imagine my surprise when I started readin' and I saw a file about Blue Evolve! Did ya know, Douglas, my man, that it's made from blood?"

Silence weighs the air down. "...What?"

"The ARI already pokes their patients enough, doin' it a few more times doesn't look that suspicious, especially when you're the top brass of the place. Still infected with redshift and pumped full of energy to dull its effects. Then you just package it and get a sucker to distribute it as a miracle cure! I gotta admit, it's a smart way to get rid of undesirables."

Douglas, in a daze, looks between his briefcase and Kyle. "That...that can't be right..."

"'Results revealed that, while symptoms of redshift entirely disappear after 2 hours, red matter levels in the blood do not drop below 4 until an average of 12 hours have passed, and that it is the stimulating effects of activated blue matter that overtake the effects of redshift. This can be easily verified in the future by drawing blood before releasing patients, as blood that hasn't been properly treated shines a bright magenta outside of the body,'" Kyle rattles off, then he slaps his thighs and stands up to advance on his victim. The man takes a step back. "Did you know, Douglas, my man, that it was used to kick off the Pandemic too? 'At 0000 on November 24, 2058, the last dosage of the medicine will be delivered. We expect the redshift to start spreading immediately, and reach the outskirts of Zone 09 by 0500, by which time the Containment Wall should be raised to contain the infection within.'"

"Lies..."

Kyle's hands land on the other man's shoulders with enough force to make his knees rattle. "Douglas. My man. Buddy. Gimme the case."

Without waiting for approval, Kyle tugs the metal package out of Douglas' hands and pads over to the low table in the centre of the room, the briefcase hitting the wood with a short burst of noise. He walks around, then clicks it open to extract a single tube of crystalline glass wrapped in a shell of steel alloy- they curl into themselves at the sight of the liquid crawling within, a beast tapping its corroded nails to the walls of its translucent prison, breathing out a gas of purples and pinks and oranges and all shades in between that coagulate into a cloud of pure magenta.

Kyle holds it out to Akane. "This the stuff?"

She nods, then turns to look up at them, stunning silver orbs behind white eyelashes. They growl and extend their arm, opening their hand, and Kyle tosses the vial over to them.

"Wha- how-"

They close their claws around the glass. The Astral Spark flares within their core, climbs up their arm, activating the blue matter within their skin, and energy tugs at the strings holding the eroded particles of red matter together; each slowly dissolves into smaller and smaller pieces, until the liquid settles back down, turning a dark shade of crimson as the dust filters out of its confines and back where it belongs.

Akane reaches out, and the both of them gently carry the vial back to Kyle. "I told you."

"What- what just happened," Douglas stutters out.

A laugh builds in the carbon fibre hull of Kyle's helmet. He rolls the tube in his palm once, and twice, and his fingers tighten into a fist. "Ah, that's right, _you_ can't see them, huh? You don't have to worry about this shit..." With a growl, he pulls another vial out, surges forward and lifts Douglas by the flaps of his grey windbreaker, onto the tip of his toes as Kyle pushes the stopper against the other man's mouth. "Well, why don't you have a taste?!"

"Kyle!"

"H-hey, boss, what the hell?!"

Akane growls and stomps forward to rip him away from Douglas, throwing him stumbling back from his struggling guest, who falls to the floor in a heap. She whirls around on him with indignation pumping through her veins. "What, I repeat, the _hell_ is wrong with you?! Is this how you get information out of someone?!"

"It's how I get info out of a _monster!_ " Kyle roars.

"Wha- I-" Douglas drags himself backward. "I don't- I don't know anything! He- I know it's experimental, but, but he said it was supposed to help people! I don't know what you're talking about!"

Kyle straightens himself out as the fangs of his helmet split apart.

"Kyle, just _shut up_ ," Akane snaps. Then she throws them a glance before she huffs- what did _they_ do?- and turns to Douglas, and they float over to help the man back up- try to help the man back up, his shoulder slipping out of their grasp as he whimpers and scrambles away. "Don't freak out, it's just...my Legion. Do you know what Legions are? Anyway, they won't hurt you."

"What...who- who are you?" Douglas asks.

"You're working for Yoseph, aren't you?" Akane asks over him when they finally pull him up to his feet. "He's the one who told you it would help people, right?"

"I...I can't- I just did-"

"What Yoseph told you to do," she sighs. They reach down to stroke her hair, to comfort her- she grabs their hand and pushes it away with a shake of her head. "I get it."

"I-" Douglas chokes on his breath and begins to shake violently. "I don't understand...why would- why would the Director do this?"

"Tryin' to get rid of us," Kyle spits out. "Twenty fuckin' years he's been tryin' to raze this place to the ground. Just last week, he sent two cops with his name stamped on 'em to point a goddamn revolver at my head!"

Douglas gasps. "No...no, this isn't..."

Akane steps between him and Kyle as the man curls into himself. "Look, this isn't your fault, okay? You were just manipulated. I was too, alright?"

"What...what am I supposed to do? I...the Director..."

"Keep your head down," she says softly. "All you have to do is keep doing what you're told. We'll take care of it here, okay?"

"I...o-okay," Douglas whispers. "I...I have to go."

"You better not chicken out now, friend," Kyle hisses. "Because if you put Sector V in any more danger than you have, I'll find you. I'll find you, and you won't have anyone protectin' you when I do, and I'll make sure it hurts. Now _get outta here._ "

The man requires no more convincing to scurry out of the room, even as Akane reaches out for him, crossing her arms and biting her lip when the elevator's rumble fades. She pushes her thumb and interphalangeal joints against her eyelids, and backs away from them; her shoulder blades scrape against the concrete wall, discomfort to brace herself against a storm of emotions she. Locks them out of.

' _Akane?_ '

' _Give me a moment._ '

"Boss..." One of the Hermits wheezes. "Are...are you saying we've been drinking human blood?"

" _Infected_ human blood," Dimitri mutters.

The old one steps toward his leader. "Kyle. How long have you known?"

"Oh, get off my back, I didn't know 'til last week!" Kyle shouts. "It's not like we had any of this shit to go around, anyway! I didn't put anyone in danger!"

"I think. I'm gonna be sick. Oh god." The one named Hisanori runs out into the hallway.

Silence grasps them all as the realization comes to rest upon their shoulders, Kyle the only one who makes a move, to lodge the vials back into the metal briefcase before he slams it close and leans his weight onto it.

"So what now?" Nineteen bodies redirect their attention toward the grating voice of Aleksei. The little worm shifts toward his leader. "We charge the Wall? Might as well go out with a bang, if we're already infected. I'm not waiting to become an aberration."

"Legion can cure redshift," Akane pipes up. "It takes a while per person, but they did it for me when we were in the Astral Plane."

"And go back to cowering under Central's boot until the chimeras get us all? Yeah, I bet you'd like that, Howard."

"It's true that without Blue Evolve, we're just...normal people," the Hermit named Yoshikatsu adds. "The UNION and the chimeras won't leave us alone because we ask nicely, and two months isn't long enough for you to make a difference."

"No, it's not," Akane grumbles. "But if Kyle wasn't hoarding all the information I brought him, then you'd know Jena has the chimera situation handled. She left this...creature she calls an homunculus behind at street level, and apparently it clears up red matter as well as a Legion can."

"Then show me."

"Huh?" Kyle unfolds himself to his full height while Akane blinks at him.

"If the chimera problem is taken care of, I don't mind goin' back to the old ways," he says. "This data card's got enough dirty deeds registered to make the UNION quake in their shiny little boots. But I trust Anderson as far as I can throw her. So you wanna play the middleman? Then show me. We go down there, and you take me to that 'homunculus.'"

"...What?"

* * *

## Mind

Old pieces of plaster crack, fall and shatter among splintered floorboards stained by age and blood, bookcases drip titles into the ashes, destroyed roads shift and squirm upon the hills of dirt drained of life. Their claws leave marks in the soot of cleansing fire. They carefully pry red crystals out of fractured tiles, a mother protecting her children, a group of friends huddled together in the shadows of destruction, a couple crying in each other's arms, all reduced to dust between their fingers once more, absorbed and assimilated; the squeezing of the heart, spasms of the lungs, burning of tears. Humans...so weak and frail, yet capable of feats beyond their own comprehension, bonding together to push themselves far above their limits as physical beings. A mind sharpened by trials, dulled by control.

So different, and yet so alike. An amalgam of memories and desires, reduced to a tool of iteration. They pick a thin book from the remains, turning it over in their palm, blunting their claws to peel apart the pages. Ink blots the paper, inspiration lost to the ages. Inspiration...dreams, ambitions.

All wiped away in a single act of zealous destruction, for the singular ambition of an ignorant, selfish man.

Is that their fate as well? To be destroyed with the other chimeras for a cosmic sin the masters wrapped into their skin, to give their life for the prosperity of another?

"Man, does this bring back memories!" Footsteps carry down the street, six sets, one pulling ahead to hurry toward them. "Course, the last time I was here, I had a metal bat in hand, and a gaggle of kids to herd! Kyle was just this lil' shrimp-"

"Legion? Woah..."

Warmth wraps around their core, delicate fingers pulling at their strings until they turn around- and collide against a cold mental wall they recoil away from. What. She simply tilts her head to the side, seemingly unfazed, her eyebrows angled up and pink lips lifting into a smile; a smile that doesn't reach her eyes, emotions pushed down as far as possible, only a small spark of concern slipping out. Why is she...?

"I've never seen this many books in one place," she pipes up, voice filled with wonder. "What is this building?"

Their core shudders. Is she pushing them away voluntarily? ' _A...library._ '

"Oh, wow. I didn't think we had physical libraries on the Ark." She steps over the pile of rubble at the entrance and walks down to them. "Um, I'm not bothering you, am I? I just needed a break. Turns out a group of frustrated guys make a lot of noise."

' _You will never bother me._ '

She chuckles. "Alright. What were you doing here, anyway?"

' _I was...thinking._ ' They turn away to slide the book back onto the rotting shelves. A half-truth. ' _About us. Who I am. Who I want to be._ '

"Ah. I...see." She buys the lie and walks past them, sighing through her nose. Another spark of concern slips past her barrier, and the old staircase creaks as she sits down. "You're not the only one. I've been trying to figure myself out for the past two days. I mean, ever since I was little, I thought my life would just be...Akira."

' _Is that not still the case?_ '

"I...why do you say that?"

' _You changed yourself to protect him. You took on this line of work to protect him. You fight the chimeras to protect him. You think you fight for the people, but I know it is for him. You had to convince yourself to let him take on the archer by himself, to choose the lives of an untold number of people above his. Your reason to push through the Astral Plane, even as you were standing on the verge of death, was him._ '

Her quietude lasts long enough to make them turn around- Akane stares down at the floor and taps the tips of her fingers together, face half-hidden in the shadows of her hood, her shoulders pulled up to her ears. Her hands stop to rub together.

She laughs weakly. "I'm selfish, aren't I? I know he doesn't need me to coddle him anymore. He's not my weak baby brother. But he can be so stubborn sometimes about accepting help! Did you know, one time when we were younger, Max took us to the biosphere after we got out of the ARI, and Aki just kept trying to run around on his own, even though they'd taken a chunk of red matter out of his thigh, like, two days before!"

' _So self-destructive recklessness runs in the family._ '

"What?" She frowns. "I'm not like that. I don't have trouble asking for help."

' _Then why do you shut me out now?_ '

"I...oh." She stops and bites her lip. "So it _is_ noticeable...sorry. I thought I could just deal with my problems, and we would just go back to how we were before. I didn't realize it would affect you."

Before? ' _Have I done something to wrong you?_ '

"No! No, you haven't done anything wrong," she cries out, fingers pulling at the ends of her hair. "It's just- I can't...I want you to be free to be whoever you want. And...what if I can't give you that? What if I'm not-"

"Hey!"

Akane startles and scowls, her hands coming down to grip her thighs, nails leaving red scratches on her pale skin. "For fuck's sake."

They slowly drag themselves over to her as the lights of Kyle's holograms pop out of the darkness above, silhouette cut in the gash of grey sky behind him.

"What is this, a library date?" He shouts. "I didn't ask to be your third wheel! Quit wastin' my time!"

"I told you, I have no way of tracking that thing down, alright?" Akane yells back. "What do you want me to do? Go out in the streets waving my arms, yelling hey oh, good sir homunculus, please show yourself?"

"Can't hurt to try!"

One of the Hermits runs into the breach. "Boss! Chimeras incomin'!"

A wave of red light heralds the opening of the gate, running its course over the bricks and bookcase, followed by a single brighter burst as glass breaks in the distance. Twin roars push apart the folds of reality.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Akane springs off her seat and up the landslide of stone faster than they can catch up, her hand already closed around her short sword by the time they break out into the blackened air. They kick off the side of the opening to avoid a strike of lightning that blasts the dried clay to cinders.

Akane lunges at the closest chimera, white shield still forming when she tears a line to their core and buries her blade within the nucleus.

"Shit!" Kyle yells above the turbulent downpour. "Scatter! Take care of the small fries!"

A fist of ashen shell flies at their head, then green-tinted talons they dash backward to dodge, the chimera setting itself squarely between them and Akane, its head of emerald winds inclined in their direction. She jumps away from its counterpart, orange armour over purple skin, violet lightning spreading out of the hole behind its clavicles, both creatures mirrored in body, inseparable in mind; Astraeus and Capaneus ripped in twain. The shields floating above their shoulders curl toward their backs as they raise their bare arms in the air, energy condensing into volatile blades of red particles to close off the area inside a storm of rain and thunder.

Astraeus comes at them in earnest. Their claws spill red matter in small shock waves with each punch and crimson streams in each swipe at their core, and Legion summons their blades, metal bending under the pressure of the Astral Spark until the edge slices a deep gouge through Astraeus' exposed muscle.

Capaneus shrieks under Akane's assault, her own blade cutting chunks from the chimera's ribs. She leans aside to dodge a straight jab and twists, the air singing as metal tears a hole in their flank.

' _Yes!_ ''

Astraeus tries to reach for their neck. They snap their fangs straight into the hardened flesh, piercing into the crystallized red matter beneath. Their opponent howls and grabs their crest. They drive their blade through the pectoral, only for warm fluid to trickle down...their...back?

They tear away from Astraeus as Capaneus stumbles to their twin's side, parts of their armour torn in half. The sensation dulls.

"Get back here, you bastard!"

Akane. Hair plastered to her face, blood stains the rear of her left shoulder a reddish pink.

The twin chimeras parade their injuries, the whirlwind picking up strength when they stop face to face with each other, then they hop and pump their arms and the joining of their hands calls down a clap of lightning that bathes the streets in a blinding flare of energy.

Akane shouts. A bronze hand closes where her head used to be, large enough to have crushed it between its fingers. Purple, ethereal threads twist the dark red torso a quarter turn to lash out at them and keep them away from her. They dig their feet into the ground to launch- no. The head of Astraeus shines below its newly formed stone halo.

Arcs of lightning prepare to strike- and Akane runs in, _without their support_ , dodging a kick from a leg as big as her.

They snarl and dash past the combined threat to snatch her up and pull her in the opposite direction, barely escaping the lethal discharge.

She rolls back to her feet and wraps her free hand around their arm. "Dammit...I should have seen that one coming. This isn't working, is it? I'm sorry. I should be better. There has to be something we can do..."

What _they_ can do? While she closes herself off in her turmoil? Their bond fluctuates and deadens as reunited Astraeus-Capaneus beat their shield-wings to the rhythm of the storm.

' _We should retreat._ '

"Can we?"

They curl their fingers into her coat. Astraeus-Capaneus shifts into a wide stance and beckons them forth. ' _Your mind is in shambles. Neither of us are in a state to fight._ '

"I know. But we can't leave that thing alive either, right?"

"What the fuck is that?!"

Astraeus-Capaneus takes a step forward- six white claws wrap around them and carries them clear across the street, through the wood and mortar, then the dark purple muscles ripple and pulls them back to smash them into the ground once, twice, thrice, the halo breaking off, another arm stretching out to separate torso and hips from each other and crush the light of Capaneus. Folds of flesh and striated bone open up and heat distorts the air- a beam of pure energy engulfs the remainder of Astraeus' body, black fragments cracking off its core and floating up before even the Astral Spark fails to hold them together.

The homunculus slams down onto all fours. It turns its attention to Akane, six spherical eyes, set within a reptilian head, pulsing with rings of light. A white exoskeleton cover its extremities and its entire torso, flaring out around the hips to come back together into a short, flexible tail.

It emits a low, continuous whine, then it throws its head back and the particles of nitrogen around it all activate at once; they fall to the ground beside Akane as the blue matter rips apart the molecular structure of every chimera in the area, flesh and bone turned to dust in the blink of an eye, leaving in the air compressed masses of red matter the homunculus absorbs into itself. Ultraviolet waves run over its body and down across the ground, into every crevice of every building, the smallest of crystals obliterated.

The wind dies down, rocks and smaller pieces of buildings crashing back to the earth while it shakes itself and looks back to Akane. Its head tilts in confusion.

' _HOW ARE YOU ALIVE._ '

They bare their fangs and snarls. How- this thing dares to weasel its way into their mind?

' _THE SIGNAL WAS GIVEN. YOU SHOULD BE DEAD._ '

' _Wha- what signal?_ ' Akane- _Akane_ says. She can hear it too?

' _RED MATTER DISINTEGRATION._ '

They hiss. ' _Neither of us are chimeras._ '

The homunculus twists its head even more. Energy begins to build once more within the depths of its throat, magenta light spilling out between its fangs-

"Leave!" Akane swipes her hand through the air as she takes a step forward.

Cracks form beneath its feet. They reach out to her. She cannot _convince_ this thing-

"I said leave! The fight is over! I'm not giving you another chance!"

The energy currents shut down. The homunculus slackens, pushing out another cry instead, and then it lifts its arms to turn away and shuffle off beyond the furthest skyscrapers, seeking another victim.

Akane falls back against their chest.

Zagir peeks out from one of the many ruined buildings. "That the homunculus?!"

"I...I didn't think it'd grow so quickly," she whispers with a short nod.

"Holy shit!" Kyle yells. "That was one hell of a beast! Good thing it came along, too, 'cuz you were just throwin' that fight!"

She wilts in their arms, looking down the way the homunculus went. "Sorry..."

They growl and wrap themselves around her. ' _Never worry me this way again._ '

She hums.

* * *

## Heart

Vibrations pass through their magnetic flows, sharp then fuzzier and fuzzier the more they focus on the noises. A light comes on. They slowly curl out of their core, quelling the glow of the Astral Spark. In the darkest corner of the bedroom, a blue light shines upon Akane's face, the card reader before her upon the desk as she kneads her side with the heating pad, and she drags her hand through her hair, freeing up her puffy eyes. Night still blankets the world outside. Why is she awake at this hour?

'...when the patient (Donald, Esther, 6 years old) was brought into the adjacent room, HUM-05 showed considerable improvement in its mood, completely stopping its assault on the windows to communicate with the patient over the console. It displayed no signs of aggression over the course of the interaction, even after multiple tests confirmed the patient's red matter level had been reduced and stabilized at 0.6, and no interest in anyone else as long as the patient was in its proximity. Its communication with the patient consisted entirely of word games and praise when she accomplished the goal...'

They let a pulse of energy ripple out to announce their presence. ' _I thought reading documentation was for nerds._ '

She blinks and turns in her chair to smile at them, breathing out a laugh through her nose. "Hah, hah. You caught me. When we see Akira, you can tell him I've become a bookworm like him."

' _I will._ '

"Uh huh."

' _I will learn to make words with my mouth only to tell him you get up to read in the middle of the night._ '

She chuckles, only for her smile to fall, her eyes to dull. "I hope he's alright. Do you think the others managed to recapture their Legions too?"

' _They did not have the will necessary to do so previously._ '

"The will?" She raises an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean like when you asked me to...give you my humanity?"

' _Every one of us simply desires...a connection. A strength of conviction that does not waver. I found it in your willingness to fight in the face of impossible odds, the potential you had as an adversary to the shackles that bound me. I do not know if my kin found their yearning so easily answered._ '

"Figures the _Sword Legion_ is a big fan of fighting."

' _I do not think...it would be the same if it was anyone else but you._ '

"Yeah?" She huffs. "Well, at least they'd have more choice in the matter than either of us."

They would frown if they could. ' _What?_ '

"Hm? Well, you've read the documents too," she answers, her fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the desk. "You heard what Hal said. Akira and I were born to synchronize with a Legion better than anyone else. It's in our blood. So are those feelings true? That it's really me you care about, not just the Legionis Akane Howard? At least the other Legions don't have to deal with people like us."

' _I do not understand. Is there a difference?_ ' They lean down to look into her eyes. She stares back at them.

"Of course there is. I'm more than just a weapon. But our connection exists on the basis that we're both meant to fight chimeras. So anything that makes us better at fighting should be reinforced, right? Even if it means our emotions need to be manipulated." She shakes her head. "Look, I'm not blind, and I might not be the best at expressing my feelings, but I'm not as dense about romance as Max. I know when someone is interested in me. But they put you into the Legatus and modified you in god-knows what ways. Maybe you just love me because you're supposed to. And me, I was created to be the perfect Legionis. Maybe I love you because I'm meant to care that much about you."

Their core may as well crumple in their chest.

She sighs out through her nose and leans back in her chair. "When you hold me close, when you stroke my hair, do I want to stay close because it makes us stronger? When we fight side by side, do we fit together because we were meant to? Is it you that I love, or is it that I've been created to feel this way about you? How would I even know? How would _you_ know?"

Oh. _Oh._ They fold themselves further, bringing their legs in and reaching out to touch her cheek.

' _Is that why you have been pushing me away?_ ' How would she know? How would they know? They redirect their hand to pick a strand of hair and push it back behind her ear.

"Yeah, because it scares me so much," she sighs, bowing her head. "You deserve to have some choice over your life. But what if I'm stopping you from really being yourself? I don't want to give you a relationship that's all _fake_. I don't want to take advantage of you."

She looks up at them through her bangs. They hover even closer. ' _I...do not have an answer. But I believe my emotions to be real. I have spent weeks separating my own sense of self from the enormity of the Astral Plane. When I feel pleased to see you smile, I believe it to be real. When I feel angry to see you hurt, I believe it to be real. All those moments spent in your presence make me greater than I would ever have been under my masters. Even if it turns out to have been imposed on me, those experiences remain real parts of me. You do not have to give me anything you are not comfortable giving. I have never felt a sense of obligation toward you, and you do not have to feel obliged to return my wants either. I will continue to stay by your side no matter what. You gave me my freedom, and I have decided that you are the place where I belong, again and again._ '

She bites her lip and sighs out through her nose. "I wish _I_ could be that certain."

' _You told me, in the Astral Plane, that I could leave you there, do whatever I want. I could have, I am certain. But what I wanted was to keep you safe. I want to see the sights you see, so colourful and filled with life._ '

"I said that?"

' _You were not exactly in the most coherent state of mind._ ' They press their crest against her forehead. ' _Please. Let me in._ '

She takes a deep breath, nods, and slowly leans into them, and finally, finally, her entire being coils around their core, affection and adoration setting their bond alight as she wraps her arms around them, burying her face into the side of their neck. They return the gesture eagerly and fit their fingers around her waist.

"I want you to be the place where I belong, too," she says.

' _You will always be welcome._ '

A small laugh tumbles past her lips, and she pulls back slightly, only to set a gentle kiss against their face plates. "Thanks. For sticking with me. Can I ask you something?"

' _Always._ '

They run their thumbs along her soft skin, claws drawing out a shuddering sigh from her, pink washing across her cheeks. Lust twines itself into their connection; she almost climbs into their lap, lifting herself up until they can slide their hands under her, gaze hungry enough to swallow them whole.

"Take me to bed?"

They purr and pick her up, cradle her against their chest as they float backward toward the bed. ' _Are you certain?_ '

" _Yes,_ " she breathes. "At least I know for sure _this_ is real."

No more words are necessary for them to land onto the mattress, using it as support to hold her up while they let their fingers glide up under her top, stroking muscles that twitch beneath their touch, abdominal and obliques until they reach ribs, one, two, three, four, five pairs, dragging up the piece of fabric covering her chest. She shivers and whimpers, goosebumps raising as they open their mouth and lick her skin, warmer and more welcoming than anything the Astral Plane could ever conjure up.

Their hands sink into the pliant flesh of her thighs, and she rolls her hips and arches her back into their tongue oh so deliciously, stretching to wriggle out of her underwear while they knead her backside, each spike of pleasure looping through both of them.

"I-I love you," she pants against their jaw, words they sear into their mind, deep, deep within their being where the masters can never, ever find them.

Her voice raises to a whine when they delve between her legs, her forehead colliding with their shoulder, toes curling. No memories stored in their core equal the flood of sensations that surges through their body. Her delicate frame shakes with each movement, and, oh, the sounds she makes, barely human anymore as she bites down into the softer scales at the base of their neck. They can't help a growl, falling deeper into the litany of _mine, mine, mine,_ _ **mine.**_ How can one human be so, so _intoxicating._

' _Beautiful._ ' Forming coherent thoughts becomes harder and harder when her nails dig into their back, her own mind reduced to a disjointed mess of needy pleads for more, more, _more._

And then she tenses up around their fingers, and they hold back the bestial instinct that demands they push her even further, wring out every drop of delightful bliss from her; her breath catches in her throat and her hearing cuts out before she melts against them with a long, low sigh, still grinding into their palm for a few minutes longer, both of their nervous systems shot into hypersensitivity. She lets them nuzzle into her hair, trying to cool down their core; they set their free hand upon her nape and skim their claws over her spine until she settles down and stops _driving them into a frenzy_.

" _Fuck,_ " she gasps. "I didn't think...I've never felt myself in so much detail."

They growl. ' _You. Drive me insane._ '

"Do I?" Her lips part- and they freeze as she leaves open-mouthed kisses along the column of their throat, then sits back on her haunches to look at them with hooded eyes and reddened lips. "Then give me more? Please?"

Her wrists easily fit within their grip, and her back hits the mattress.

Oh, they will _ravage_ her.

* * *

"Legion?" She murmurs against their skin.

They hum, half into their resting state, tracing the raised red marks on her back, then the creases of her deltoid muscles meeting the trapezius, hand slipped through the armholes of her shirt. She leaves another kiss to their chest, her nails drawing circles on their armour.

"There's...another thing I wanted to talk to you about," she sighs. "I figured you deserved to have an opinion on the matter, but I didn't really know how to bring it up when I wasn't sure of my own."

' _I am listening._ '

"Right. Do you think...do you think Jena has the right idea? With her homunculi?"

They wake a little more. ' _What do you mean?_ '

"Well...humans or chimeras, I keep wondering if there's no other choice than for one of us to die out. I don't...think I want that. Like, yeah, of course I'm gonna fight the chimeras that attack us, I'd fight anyone who wants to harm innocent people for no good reason, but to the point of wiping them out? I'm not some kind of genocidal maniac. Fuck, does that even make us any better than the masters?"

' _We share the same thoughts on the matter._ ' They smooth down her hair. ' _Unfortunately, I am unable to see an alternative. The existence of the masters is antithetical to human life: chimeras cannot exist without their creators; chimeras cannot be created without death and destruction._ '

"But death and destruction happens every day." She twists her neck to look at them. "It happened all the time even before the chimeras came along. People and animals die every day. If the chimeras could continue to exist without outright war, do you think they'd still want to destroy humanity?"

' _I suppose not...you want to give them a new master?_ '

"No, I want to give them back control over their lives. If they could have the means to, er, reproduce, then we could get rid of the masters, and the chimeras could keep archiving what doesn't have a use anymore to humans to keep the Astral Plane alive. No need to destroy it." She smiles hesitantly. "It sounds utopian, but given enough time, I'm sure we could learn to coexist. I mean, Legions are already a thing, right."

They stare at her. No more of the masters' influence, free to live as they wish. ' _How would you accomplish such a feat?_ '

"The homunculi." She sits up and shifts to straddle their hips, her smile more certain. "If the one we met is any indication, then the homunculi can talk to humans _and_ chimeras, and they're able to manipulate red matter! They could act as an intermediary between our two species, and use their abilities to help the chimeras! All they need is a guide, right? And the one we met did listen to me."

' _Trying to kill the masters is...folly._ '

"Hey, it's them or us, and we're not about to go down without a fight, right?" She grins.

They drum their claws on her hips, and they laugh. ' _No, no, we will not go down without a fight._ '

* * *

## Beyond

Akane laughs and almost bounces in place as the rabbits aggregate around her, devouring the basil straight out of her palm. The winds flow peacefully with the afternoon sun, carrying the salt from the ocean far to the west that sticks at the back of her throat and coats their skin in a stifling layer of dried scales, a minor inconvenience to watch her play with the little furry creatures, cuddled up against them in body and mind. One of the larger bucks climbs over his compatriots to butt his head against her hand.

"Hey, come on, Barney, you had your turn!" She tuts to the black-and-white rabbit, his teeth pulling at her fingers.

"Why are you giving them names? You know they're all gonna be slaughtered, right?"

Both of them sigh, Akane turning to glare at Aleksei. The living slime sticks his hands into his pockets, his helmet stuck in the crook of his arm, forest green eyes glaring back.

"I know," Akane spits out. "So what? Everything ends eventually. Doesn't mean we shouldn't care about it while it lasts. You still give a damn about other people, even if they're going to die at some point."

"They're _rabbits._ "

She groans. "In all my time here, you've been the biggest asshole of them all, you know that? What the hell is your problem with me?"

"What, I'm supposed to be buddy-buddy with a monster like you? I don't get why Merkulov didn't just throw you out on the street."

"Who?"

"Huh?"

"Who's Merkulov?"

Aleksei narrows his eyes. "Kyle?" He laughs and shakes his head. "Oh, wow, you don't even know his name. Yeah, like hell I'm gonna trust you around him."

"Are...I'm not a danger to him, you know? Your boyfriend can take care of himself."

"Wha- you- fuck, whatever," Aleksei grumbles. "Look, I'm just here to tell you he wants to talk to you. Again. Come on."

They disentangle themselves from Akane to help her up from the ground. She takes a hold of their hand with a frown marring her features.

Kyle waits for them in the centre of the Hermits' meeting room, tapping his sneakers to the concrete, his head jerking up when they step through the light field. Alex, Rufus, Jake, Winston and Michael stand around the entrance, as well as Zagir a little further apart from them, a thick cotton bag thrown across his shoulder. Kyle strolls over to them with a sway in his step and crosses his arms behind his back.

"The shelter in Sector VI where we found you," he declares, then knocks on the side of his helmet when Akane raises an eyebrow. "Anderson must've gotten a hook from Hal, 'cuz she just sent me a private message. Seems like your vacation with us is over."

Akane blinks. "Oh. It's already been that long?"

Kyle laughs. "Time goes by quickly when you're havin' fun, huh? We'll escort ya there, if you're ready."

All of them descend to the ruined highway in companionable silence, then the Hermits one by one down the ladder while they float down with Akane cradled to their chest. The sun beats down on the walkways scrubbed to the rust, the floors of the buildings bearing the elliptical scars of organic waste breaking down the metal, cloth still hung up around provisional cabins where there must have once been civilization. Dust floats in the rays that filters through the holes in the ceiling.

Darkness slowly takes over as they descend further into the bowels of the abandoned city, until Kyle stops before a large plate held up between their high rise and one of the lower floors of the sprawling complex before them.

"Here we are," he calls out over his shoulder. "This is _our_ stop. Anythin' beyond there's been blasted with red matter from the basement to the roof."

Akane slows down and stops as well, the other Hermits gathering in the distance between the two of them. Legion settles at her side.

"My best guess gotta be that she's waitin' up at the top. There's a plaza there, connecting a bunch of apartments together, with an outgoing tunnel toward the Wall. It's the only way to get outta here from Sector VI."

She nods. Zagir steps forward, swinging the strap of his bag over his head to put it down on the ground.

"Uh, I got a few things for ya," he says while he pulls a bulky white shape out of its confines. "They been ready for a while, but I figured they'd make good parting gifts?"

He flips the object around. A wide, opaque blue visor occupies the upper half of the helmet and a respirator for the lower half, with a metal neck of small overlapping plates similar to their own cervical scales.

"Me, Rufus and Dimitri got together to make it!" He explains as Akane takes it from his hands. "It's got all these fancy gadgets, like it lets you see in the dark, and it can change your voice, and it reads data cards, and it's got a real secure line to Dimitri if ya need it! Oh!"

He crouches again and draws out a boxy sheath of black polypropylene by the rectangular handle of the short sword, attached to a similarly coloured nylon belt that fits nicely around Akane's hips.

Zagir nods to himself. "Yeah, that looks nice!"

"That's...wow," she breathes. "That must have taken a lot of effort. Thank you."

"Aw, it's nuffin'! And, hey, if you're ever in the area again, maybe we could, like, uh, grab a bowl of congee? Together?"

Akane smiles and snorts, reaching out to take their hand and raising it in the air. "Er, sorry, I'm taken."

Zagir freezes and his head slowly swivels to look at them. Kyle breaks out in laughter.

"Ah shit, I knew it!" He shouts.

"Well, uh, a guy's gotta try," Zagir mumbles.

Kyle steps over to slap Akane on the back while his cackling devolves into giggles, half dragging her toward the complex, half leaning in to whisper to her.

"Oh, don't tell anyone else, but I'm gonna miss ya, Howard." Legion tilts their head when he twists toward them. "You too, pal."

"You make it sound like we're going away forever," Akane retorts. "I'm sure you'll see us again by the end of the year."

"Well, I'll keep your room intact, then, in case ya need to go into hidin'." He laughs.

"Thanks, Kyle."

"Merkulov."

"What?"

Kyle puts his hand to his chest. "The name's Kyle Merkulov. Welcome to the very short list of people who know it. It's an exclusive club, so count yourselves lucky."

Akane chuckles. "Alright. Keep yourself safe, Kyle Merkulov."

"C'mon, off ya go, you little monsters. Don't get eaten up."

The metal plate groans under her boots.

"Hey!" Jake leans against the grating fence. "If you see Hal, tell him Jake Jones said hi!"

Darkness swirls around inside the building, their light a fluctuating beacon in the black ocean. Akane ignores the elevator, doors held ajar by a large crystal of long dead red matter- once an aberration, once a human being- pushing onward to reveal a miraculously intact stairwell, up to hallways emptied of life, lined with doors open to what would have been homes and storage spaces. She stops to take in each one, the red matter, ground into a fine dust, choking the air, the marks of claws into the concrete, the black stains that may have once been blood, pouring the coals into the furnace reignited in her chest.

Red emergency signals illuminate the winding hallway to the fires of the outside world.

Jena Anderson stands at the heart of the plaza, her arms crossed under her chest, her skin cleansed of dirt and her makeup reapplied, the back of her hair tamed into a loose ponytail, her eyes shining a severe blue without the shadows caking her cheeks.

She lowers her arms to her sides as they approach. "Two months, as I said. What is your answer?"

Akane swallows, but stands firm. "I will help you. But I won't destroy the Astral Plane."

Anderson frowns. "Explain."

"I want a better way. For humans _and_ chimeras. They've got as much of a right to live as anything else. Yoseph and the UNION will answer for their crimes, and then you and I will guide the homunculi to help the remaining chimeras out of their bondage."

"You aim for the ones who control the Astral Plane."

"You want my help? Those are my terms."

Anderson looks away, crushing her sleeve between her fingers. Her eyebrows somehow pull even further down, then she closes her eyes and nods. "I don't understand your compassion for these creatures...but your ideals remind me of who I used to be. I accept your terms. As long as _you_ accept the responsibilities of your decision. If your actions put humanity in danger, then I will stop you as well. Do not forget that."

"Thank you, Jena."

The air crackles as the gate pulls it apart to reveal the yawning chasm into the Astral Plane.

"We will have to travel this way if we wish to arrive at our destination in time. Come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rework this chapter so many times. Romance isn't really something I'm experienced writing for, so I couldn't find myself satisfied with the Heart section, but I think I've finally put things together in a way I'm happy with.


	10. File 10 [Clash]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To meet and come into violent conflict; opposition, especially of views or interests.

## Assemblage

'Case Number: UF03-62b89ad7

Date Registered: 19/08/2078

Location: Zone 08 Ark Sewer Management Facility

Summary: Gate/Chimera Disposal

Responded to an incoming call for assistance at the Zone 08 Ark Sewer Management Facility. Disposal of 9 officer aberrations and four chimeras (GEL-C-B7904-00, GEL-C-9A7EC-00, GEL-C-B7904-01, GEL-C-9A7EC-01) was immediately conducted on site with the Blade Legion. Evacuation procedures were carried out by the remaining officers upon the opening of a gate within the sewage treatment silo.

The chimera responsible (ARM-C-D0790-00, codename "Kronos") was dispatched using the Bowgun Legion, with minimal damage to the silo and no further casualties. No injuries were sustained.'

He stops writing and waggles his fingers over the screen of the tablet, humming low to himself while he skims over his report again. Should be good enough...he glances at his Legatus and the messaging app again, and frowns when it gives him nothing but his own messages and the last communication from Hal three days ago. He scrolls back through their daily conversations. Maybe something came up-

"Woah!"

He takes a step back as soon as he comes out of the elevator, just in time to avoid collision with...

"Shizu?"

Wide brown eyes blown even wider by her large black glasses look up at him under white bangs. She stares and stares and stares, and her lips pull up into a smile, her voice almost a whisper. "An angel is coming back today."

"Uh..." He slides his gaze away from hers as carefully as he can. "Okay. Are you, uh...going out on patrol?"

She nods and moves aside to let him pass. "I thought you should know."

"Right. Um. Thanks, Shizu." He waits until the elevator starts back up before he turns the corner.

"...didn't say anything when you pushed that new Legion on him, but it's another thing completely to send him out alone! Without _any support!_ "

And the roar immediately brings him to a screeching halt again. Akira slowly steps into the doorway of the command centre.

Dad leans his weight onto the commander's desk, flanked by Jin and Alicia leaning against the closest desks, Kay and Hisayoshi cowed into silence behind their own. Olive turns her head his way, her eyes growing round as beads as she quickly glances between him and Dad.

"I would request you take a step back, Captain. I can hear you perfectly well," the commander enunciates smoothly.

"'Captain,' like I still got any authority when you just send out my officers with no warning! Son or not, that's still one of _my_ team you sent out, with no backup, into a chimera-infested hellhole!"

"And I believe you all underestimate officer Howard's capabilities, Captain." The commander sighs. "I know this has been a point of contention between us, but I did not choose him above anyone else here by chance. He is an accomplished officer, who has shown himself able to handle a Legion far better than any of you ever have, even in the scant few months since his induction. I assure you he is more than capable of handling a single outbreak on his own. I know it is hard for those of us in the old guard to see ourselves being replaced, but if you have grievances on the matter, I would urge you to reconsider your priorities."

Alicia shakes her head. "Commander, with all due respect, this isn't jealousy, we're just worried about his safety. What if somethin' happens and he needs backup? Even Olive doesn't know where he is."

Olive raises an eyebrow. "Um..."

He huffs and walks into the room. "I'm right here."

"Akira!"

All heads whip around to follow him while he strides over to the commander's desk, holding out the tablet. "I think cleanup might take a month or two, but we shouldn't have to shut down the facility, just keep an eye on the water supply in Zone 08. Here's my report for review, commander."

"Excellent. Thank you, officer Howard. It's good to see my trust was not misplaced."

"Captain." He turns to look at Dad and salutes. "I'm the one who volunteered to go on my own to deal with the situation. The Type-R Legions are still prototypes, so I didn't know if it'd be safe to use it with other people around. My recent performance evaluation was good enough that the commander approved my decision."

The half-truth curdles on his tongue, especially when Dad gives him a disapproving glare that softens into closed eyes and a sigh. "At least you're alive."

"I'm starting to think martyrdom is a Howard thing," Jin mutters, his forehead cupped between his thumb and index.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Dad growls.

Alicia huffs through her nose and swings herself back to her feet. Akira rolls his eyes when she pats him down. "You better not be hiding any injuries, kiddo."

"I'm alright, Alicia. They didn't even touch me."

"Still doesn't sit right with me to hang back while you do all the work. C'mon, commander, when do we get to play with the new toys?"

Akira grunts. "Come on, Alicia, they're still in testing-"

"To be truthful with you, officer Lopez, I would like the answer to be 'never.'"

"Huh?"

The commander's chair creaks as he stands, crossing his arms behind his back. "I know you haven't had the chance to prove yourself yet, but as we are, officer Howard has been the only one to have demonstrated the willpower necessary to subdue a Legion. And, if I may say so, I have much better candidates for the Type-R than any of you here; as much as I think you are outstanding officers on your own, playing support might be for the best."

"Wha- better candidates?" Alicia says. "Well, don't I feel special."

"Those are simply the facts."

"New recruits? Why's this the first time we hear about that?" Dad asks, his eye narrowed.

"They are not officers, and will not be part of Neuron," the commander explains while he walks around his desk. "But they are all excellent combatants I handpicked myself. And that is all I am allowed to say on the matter, Captain. Now, Akira, come with me."

Akira blinks. "Huh? Uh, oh, right, sir."

He turns and follows after the commander, bowing his head when Dad growls behind them, his shape drooping as Alicia murmurs something to him. Akira grits his teeth and looks away.

"These candidates..." The elevator doors shut as he steps in. "They're the other Legionis for the fusion process?"

The commander hums. "Correct. They are at the ARI as we speak. I would like you to meet them."

At the ARI? The elevator slows to a stop at the heliport, the commander pushing onward and directing him toward the closest chopper. Their pilot strikes a salute at their approach, plates of yellow and orange armour clacking together, and Akira holds the door open for the commander to climb in, then pulls himself up before closing it behind him.

The commander stretches and slides the privacy door shut as the whir of the thruster climbs to a low drone.

"You don't need to give me the specific identification code of every chimera you face," he comments a few minutes into their flight. Akira shifts in his seat while the commander scrolls through his report. "You can simplify down to small Gel-type or large Arm-type."

"Oh, alright."

"Did you find anything?"

He shakes his head. "No, there wasn't any sign of Anderson in the area. I don't..."

He shakes his head again and sighs.

The commander peers at him over his glasses. "You can speak your mind, Akira."

"I'm just confused why you've been sending me all around Zone 09 to find her. First it was Zone 06, now it's Zone 08. Do you really think she's operating out of there, sir?"

"Ah. I knew you would ask eventually." The commander lowers the tablet and nods, leaning back in his seat. "I should apologize for keeping you in the dark. Everything stands so precariously in the balance, a web of secrets all overlapping each other, I couldn't take the risk of revealing anything to anyone I did not trust entirely. First, how much do you know of the role of Director?"

Akira raises an eyebrow. "Not much, sir. I imagine you have a lot of responsibilities, but I've never had any desire to become Director myself."

"As you know, the UNION is a collective of many councillors. 180, to be exact. With such a large group trying to work together, of course, supervision is required, even with the division of power between the six districts of the Ark. In comes the Seekers, then, the highest and most secretive ranks of the UNION, who have the final say in any motions that passes through the hands of the council. I am the one in charge of communication between these two sectors. Unfortunately, this means my influence is very limited when it comes to executive or legislative measures. Even when it comes to helping the people we have sworn to protect. You see, the truth is, I have known of the UNION's cover-up of Zone 09 for years, without any recourse to help them directly." The commander smirks. "But I am nothing if not a resourceful man. I have eyes and ears beyond the Containment Wall, a young, promising officer by the name of Aleksei Mitchell. He has been helping to stabilize the area and occasionally reports his findings."

Akira blinks a few times and runs his hand over his face. Jesus. "And...he...saw Anderson?"

"Not quite. There has been sightings of an employee of the ARI, however, a man by the name of Douglas Baumann. He has been distributing a 'miracle cure' to redshift he calls Blue Evolve. A bright purple liquid in a thin vial."

Cold dread slithers up his spine. "No way."

"I have put him under investigation for now. I can assume you understand why I believe Jena must be in the area."

"Right...this is a lot."

The commander hums again, stroking his beard. "What do you think of the UNION, Akira?"

"Huh?" Akira rubs his palms together with a frown. "Um...well, they do their job."

"A poor and inefficient job," the commander scoffs. "Let me rephrase it. In your ideal world, would the UNION still exist?"

Oh. He turns his head to look out the window, the myriad lights of the spire of the Aegis Research Institute reflecting off the dark ocean below, waves bending the dots into elongated, distorted shapes. "No. They can't give everyone the basics to survive, but the rich get richer with their blessing, while _we_ run around keeping them safe. If...I had a say in the matter, no one would be homeless, or starving, or struggling in debt."

The commander chuckles. "I knew I chose the right man for this."

The helicopter slowly descends onto the landing pad of the ARI's upper levels, as bright yellow as it's ever been. They disembark the moment the thruster shuts off.

A dozen bulky white suits wheel about the heliport, faces hidden behind dark visors that make his stomach churn, each straightening out in respect as the commander passes by, the gigantic door of the main entrance splitting apart and sliding away at his approach. Akira follows close behind, tracing the darker grey indentations in the floor with his eyes. Patients well enough to move sit around the rest areas in their mint green uniforms.

"I know how uncomfortable it must be to come back here," the commander says while they wait for the holographic receptionist to let them go beyond. "Don't worry. We won't be here for long."

Akira nods and opens up his hand for the commander to drop his visitor pass into.

They walk around the reception desk and into the room at the back of the hall, then into the elevator. His ears pop on the way up.

Their steps echo in the domed chamber they arrive in, darkness extending far below their little walkway, only to be broken apart by bright red light as the door on the other side clears the way; a few technicians stand before countless vats of bubbling liquid lining the entire wall, adjusting dials and flicking switches. All of them look up at once.

"Doctor Calvert!" The closest one shouts.

"Yuuichi," the commander calls back more calmly. "How are the cell cultures developing?"

"Oh, very well. We should be able to feed them through the Astral Spark in...I would say a week."

"Good. As you were, then."

The two men nod at each other, and the commander leads the way past the tanks, then through another hallway with a small rest area, and finally up a series of curved staircases. He stops at a smaller and sweeps his arm out toward it.

"Here we are. They are waiting for you."

Waiting...for him? Akira takes a deep breath and wets his lips, heart trying to burst through his chest, then takes the step forward to engage the door mechanism.

He chokes. Twelve heads of dark brown, spiky hair shoot up to look at him- with golden brown eyes, all set below the same frown, bodies clad in the same black and white armour, holding strange helmets crossed with red bow-shaped lines, each with a silver Legatus sparking red light. Lounging around on white seats, they all blink at him in unison, perfect copies of each other- of... _himself._

He slides his foot back. Wha- why- _why._ "C-commander, what...what is _this_. This isn't..."

"They are called the Ravens. It's quite simple, Akira." The commander's hand lands on his shoulder. "There's no one with the same potential as you. No one who can match your synchronization rate, no matter how far I push my predictions. As I said, you are the first and the last."

Akira twists and stumbles away from- his _commander._ "So you decided to...to make clones of me?! Like I'm, I'm some kind of pet you can just replace?! Am I-" _Fuck._ "Am I one of them too?"

"Of course not," the commander snaps. "You are irreplaceable, Akira. None of them are you, only an extension of yourself I provide you. Think of them as your arms or your legs. They have no free will, no emotions, not even the desire to survive, their only purpose is to help you achieve your goals."

"This isn't right..." The...the _clones_ all give him the same blank look. They're not...human. They can't be human. Do they even know who he is? Who they are? Is he really so _special?_

"There were no other solutions I could find. It was not a lie to say we have no one else but you. I _will_ save humankind, whatever I must do. Don't you feel the same?"

"I..." He grits his teeth. "I do, but...what's _my_ purpose, then?"

"To be their captain, of course. To give you a taste of what it will be like to lead humanity."

What. He opens and closes his mouth, and clenches his fists. "To- what? Wh- when did I sign up for that? I don't want to lead anyone, I- I just want to- to be-"

"A hero?"

Is that really all he cares about? " _No_ , no, I- I just want to save people! That's...the duty Akane left me!"

"Oh, Akira." The commander paces back and forth. "The Astral Plane is an infinite plane of millennia of human knowledge, all happily gathered by the chimeras and their overlords, ready to be handed over to us on a silver platter. But imagine how easily that power could be abused. How we could torment each other for eternity without any oversight. No, humanity has always needed guidance. That's why we've always sought it so fervently; we looked to the stars in our beginnings, and when that was not enough, we found ourselves making our own deities to guide us. When we leave this worthless husk of a planet behind, we will need a heart to follow, someone to lead us onto the right path once we have ascended beyond our cradle."

"I'm not..."

"Only a true leader would question their viability. Those who believe themselves to be leaders are too arrogant to see and rectify their mistakes. A man who wants nothing but the best for everyone has the right qualities. Akira. What is a hero but one who shows others the most moral of standard?"

"Commander..." What other choice does he have? Refuse, and let the world die around him? He digs his fingers into his scalp. Dad and Jin and Alicia, Olive and Brenda, all of the people of the Ark, victims of his _cowardice._

His Legatus beeps. He blinks out of his thoughts and looks for the commander's nod before answering the call. "H-" He clears his throat. "Hello?"

"Akira!" Olive shouts over the line. "Is everything okay? I haven't been able to reach you over the radio!"

"Ah, apologies, Olive," the commander says. "Standard communication lines are blocked in this section, to avoid any leaks."

"Oh, commander, you're here too!"

"I am. What is the issue?"

"Several officers have reported civilian sightings of Jena Anderson in Harmony Square. All available officers have been mobilized, but without a Legion, I don't know if we have any chances of catching her. I thought-"

"Understood. Akira will be on the scene soon." Of all times... "I know you will make the right decision in the end, Akira."

He said he'd do everything to meet the commander's expectations, didn't he? "I...right. I'll do my best, commander."

* * *

## Red

Zone 33 flashes with life, holographic billboards of various sizes, from smaller than a human to an entire skyscraper's length, advertising a thousand and one brands from Taffino's to GoSoma to Amceco, all promising some form of happiness to buy, protection from redshift or the right fashion choices to make for the season, food booths overflowing with customers wrapped all around the media centre, where the Ark News Group blares its propaganda for everyone to hear. The masses blend together in a lump of dark fabric, continually moving in and out of the subway stations. He follows the traffic to the skywalk and parks himself between two taxi spots, right beside the Rästner's ice cream stand, then flicks his radio on.

"I'm here, Olive. Where are the others?"

Olive hums. "Li Fang, Max and Jin have the northern streets handled, Joey, Avery and Mitsuru are investigating the southern half, and Alicia has the central intersection and the skywalk. From what we know so far, a woman in white who fits Jena's profile was seen acting suspicious around this area last night, so keep an eye out for anything that looks out of place. It might give us clues as to where she went."

"Alright. I'll go back up Alicia, then."

"Ah, what?" He looks up. Alicia peers at him over the railing of the bridge, curls falling out of her cap. "I'm just fine, kiddo!"

Akira rolls his eyes. "I'll just _casually stroll_ around the same area, then."

"Hey, you ever watch any of those old cop shows from the 20th century?" Olive says through a giggle. "They used to call this 'walking the beat!'"

He crosses the street and climbs up the stairs to Alicia's side while she shakes her head with a smile, hands to her hips. "Well, I guess two heads' better than one."

"Hey, make sure you keep him safe, alright?" Dad says over her radio, Alicia rolling her eyes in response.

"Oh, Akira, since you switched to a new Legatus, I took the liberty of forwarding the hologram footage of Jena from the security cameras to your storage," Olive informs him. "That should help with your investigation! Get us some good info!"

"Easier said than done," Alicia mutters.

He flicks his projector on and snaps a close shot of Anderson as she stares straight into the camera, then he stretches out his arm and sends up the Bowgun Legion in a burst of energy. "It's a shame we don't have any security equipment around here. On the other hand, we're not cleaning up after an outbreak...yet."

"Hey, hey, don't go playing the pessimist! We'll find Anderson before she can do anything."

If she hasn't already done something. He scans the grounds below from the sky, the cars that fly by underneath them, and the few people loitering about.

"Erm, excuse me, officers?"

He splits off back into himself and snaps his IRIS on as he turns toward the man- UCA002686 Chester Klauwell. The guy yelps and jumps back, waving his hands in front of him.

"Oh, ah, sorry, I thought you were with the police, I-"

Akira raises an eyebrow. "I am. Just a different outfit. Can I help you, sir?"

"Oh!" Klauwell laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head. "Er, well, you see, I was looking for someone."

"Talk about a coincidence, so are we," Alicia says, pulling up her own picture of Anderson. "Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Have you seen this wo-"

"That's her!" He gasps, his whole face lighting up.

Akira narrows his eyes. "You...know her? Jena Anderson?"

"Jena who? What are you talking about? That's her! Sierra Lancarson! That piercing gaze...those fashionably tattered clothes...do you live under a rock? She's the greatest singer of all times! She contacted me last night and told me she'd meet me here! Me! I bet it's because I bought all of her albums on release...oh, I'd _die_ without her voice!"

Alicia leans in toward him. "D'you think Jena lives some kind of double life as a pop star?"

He snorts. "Yeah, right. He's either a great actor, or I think we just have a fanboy who got pranked."

"Yeaaaah." She straightens up and gives the man a smile. "Ah, well, I think we might've a case of mistaken identity here. Unless you think miss Sierra is a wanted fugitive."

"A wanted- what?!" Klauwell's eyes bulge out, ready to pop from his face. "No! No way! Y-y'know, now that I look at her closer, she doesn't really look like Sierra at all! Um...ooooh, she must be that ghost lady who hangs out at the mall! Man, I knew he was full of it."

"Hold on, what?"

"A friend of mine says there's been some kinda ghost lady hanging out at Ark Mall at night since it closed down," Klauwell explains. "But, come on, ghosts? Don't we have enough to worry about with the aberrations? Why make up ghost stories, too?"

Akira exchanges a look of concern with Alicia before he turns his attention back to the man. "Huh. Alright, well, uh, thanks for the info, but we have to get back to it. I hope you find your date."

He steps aside when Alicia waves him over, while the guy splutters and almost falls over himself in shock.

"Ark Mall's been shut for a few months now," she says. "No one's been around there since. If someone would want to hide somewhere, it'd be a perfect place."

"And this ghost comes around at night. Fits with what we know so far."

"Right. At least it's something."

He hums, then crosses his arm over his chest. "You know, this is the third time this month people assume I'm an officer on sight, even when I'm in plainclothes. Do I give off that impression? I know Hal said I had the look, but..."

"We all kinda pick up the habits of the job," Alicia says with a shrug. "The way you stand, the air you give off, the scars and the physique. Ain't no escaping a few slashes from an aberration here and there."

"I guess so..."

A bang of bright noise makes them both jump half a metre in the air, his Legion screeching and swirling around, its head swivelling until it lands his gaze on a cluster of people further along the skywalk, buried in muffled shouts and the sounds of metal smacking flesh. Alicia peels off faster than him toward the scene, and he calls back his Legion as he rushes after her.

He gets there in time to see Alicia almost throw an officer clear across the plaza, then drag off the second one by the collar of his jacket, away from a civilian in a patched up grey insulated jacket and a worn respirator, surrounded by four others dressed the same way. The one in white and blue weighs a length of plastic pipe in his palm, and the one in green and black sits up from the ground, clutching his face behind his black cloth mask.

"The hell do you think you're doing?!" Alicia shouts into her captive's face.

Akira blinks and reaches down to help up the guy in green, only to have his hand smacked away.

"Don't need your help, copper. Piss off." Huh.

"They're just street thugs who decided to pick a fight, what're you getting mad about?!" The second officer shouts back, pushing away Alicia.

She glances at the group of civilians and audibly takes a breath through her nose. "Street thugs? They're malnourished teens and you're two grown adults. Even if they're picking a fight, your job is deescalation, ever heard of it? Or did you forget your brains in your lockers before goin' out on patrol today? You'd better leave before we make a case out of this."

"Who the hell are you to think you can talk to us like that?!" The first officer interjects. "I'm captain of the-"

"And I'm second lieutenant Alicia Lopez of the Neuron Task Force under Director Yoseph Calvert, and believe me, I see you beating up our citizens again, and you're gonna lose more than your job, pal! Now, you're gonna _leave_ and let us deal with this."

The officers become little fishes, flapping their mouths in anger and humiliation, and then they huff simultaneously and turn to run away with their tails between their legs, mumbling stuff he probably wouldn't dare to repeat. He scowls at their retreating backs. They made that guy a captain?

Alicia scoffs and shakes her head, then walks back over to the group. "Are you guys alright?"

"Tch, I had it handled, pig," the grey one mutters. UBF005298, Hugo Uchinami.

"Pig? Come on, I helped you out of a pinch. You should be glad if all you get is a score penalty."

The green one, UAL008361, Youji Isejima, laughs. "You wanna lower my social even more? Go right ahead, ain't like I got any more to lose."

"Huh?"

"What? I don't got a home, don't got a job, don't got connections, my social's already bottom of the barrel. You ain't taking anything away from me, pig."

"Oh." Alicia winces and rubs her shoulder. "You know we have rehabilitation centres, right? They could help get you back on your feet."

"The fuck? I don't fucking need rehabilitation!" Isejima shouts. "Maybe _you_ should go, 'cuz I'm not the one who decided to be a cop!"

"Hey, what's wrong with keeping the peace?"

"Keeping the peace?!" The one in blue and white hollers. "Who you keeping the peace for? It sure as hell ain't me! It's like the Hermits said, you're just a buncha yapping dogs with nothin' to think with!"

"Wha-"

"Don't let the pigs rile you up, Larry," Uchinami interrupts. "They ain't worth the trouble. We done here, _officers?_ "

Alicia narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. "No. How about you answer some questions first?"

A warbling laugh comes out of his respirator. "You want _me_ to answer _your_ questions? Alright. Then pay me."

" _Pay you?_ "

"Yeah, I ain't under arrest, am I? Can't keep me here against my will. Gimme some cash, I might decide to listen."

Akira stares, then sweeps his gaze over the group, the stitches holding together their coats, clothes layered to keep themselves warm. They really are just a ragtag bunch of teens, barely...barely younger than him. Their leader looks his age. No wonder they got roped in with the Hermits. "Alright, how much?"

Uchinami blinks. "Huh?"

" _Akira,_ " Alicia groans.

"How much do you need? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand? A hundred?" He pulls his cash chip out of his anterior side pocket and holds it up between his thumb and index. "Do you have a cash chip or do we need to head over to the bank?"

"Akira!"

"You serious, man?" Uchinami asks, breathing out a laugh. "Just like that? Ain't even gonna try to get me to talk? You don't know if I can even answer."

"You need it more than me." He shakes his head. "I'm not just paying you for information. I'm giving you money to keep yourselves alive. What you can answer doesn't matter to me."

Uchinami frowns, eyes flitting over his face. "Well...shit, I won't say no to a cool fifty grand. Right, guys?"

The rest of his cohort mumble among themselves while Akira snaps up the cash chip Uchinami extends his way and slots the two cards together, tapping the holographic screen to wire out fifty thousands out of the hundreds from the commander sitting in his own account. He pulls the chips apart and hands it back over as soon as the 'ding' of the transfer completion rings out.

"Holy shit, didn't think you were legit," Uchinami says. "Alright, ask your questions."

Alicia sighs, pushing her knuckles into her eyes. "I guess you _are_ legally an adult."

Akira snorts and brings the picture of Anderson back up, turning it over to Uchinami. "Have you seen this woman around?"

Uchinami scowls. "Tch, yeah, I've seen her around. That's the bitch that took over our old turf."

"Your old turf?"

"This ain't our usual spot. We're not staying here with you cops prancing about for fun. We used to stay in Ark Mall. It's abandoned, so free territory, yeah? But then that chick shows up, walking about like she owns the place, and these weird tentacles sprouted everywhere she went, messed up the whole place. And if _that_ wasn't enough, this ghostly armour came around about a week later. When that much weird shit starts happening, a smart man gets the hell outta dodge, y'know?"

Akira clenches his jaw. "A ghostly armour? Can you tell me more about it?"

"I dunno, I only saw it once, it was some kinda blurry floating torso. Didn't try to get closer, especially after it started pulsing this weird red light. I just grabbed our supplies and got out."

Alicia grabs his arm and pulls him closer. "Doesn't that sound like the red ghost you and the captain heard about?"

"That turned out to be the Arrow Legion? Yeah. A floating torso...could be the Arm Legion. Why is it following Anderson, though?"

She looks away and hums.

"That all?"

He glances back up at Uchinami and taps his fist against his lips. "Sure. That's enough for us to go on."

"Finally. Come on, guys, looks like we're having a feast tonight!"

"Hey!" Alicia hollers after Uchinami. He turns and jerks his chin in her direction. "Maybe you should find a better role model than the Hermits. Just saying."

"Piss off, copper!"

The five delinquents give a loud cheer as they follow their leader down the stairs and out of sight.

"I don't get kids these days," Alicia mutters. "At least we got something out of them...you didn't have to do that, y'know? I don't think I could have."

Akira raises an eyebrow. "What? Pay them? What am I going to do with so much credit? I only need to take care of myself. If I can help a little..."

"You have a good heart, kiddo." Alicia smiles, then she chuckles and rubs the bridge of her nose. "Wish everyone had your mentality when I was younger. The only reason I joined the police back then was to get out of the dump I was living in. You know that's where Jin and I met? He lived right across from me."

"Huh. I would've taken you more for the spoiled princess type."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

The two of them laugh together, Alicia trying to look offended between her snickers.

His own laughter peters out quick. A good heart, huh... "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing," she says as she hides her gigantic grin behind her hand. "What's up?"

"Do you...do you think I would make a good captain?"

Her hand drops back to her side, and she blinks at him. "Huh? Where's that coming from? You wanna one up your dad?"

"No, it's not like that." He shakes his head. "It's just...the commander...asked me to be the captain for the new Legionis. I don't know how to feel about it."

"Oh...woah. I mean, you're the only one we have with a Legion...I guess if there's anyone who could train and lead a bunch of Legionis, it'd be you. Besides, it's not like you can't rely on us anyway, you know? The captain, Jin and I, we just want the best for you, kiddo."

He hums. The only one...

Both of their radios crackle to life. "Come in! This is officer Aiba! We have visual confirmation of the suspect at the Harmony Square central intersection!"

He breaks into a run back the way they came, everyone stepping out of his path. His hands smack into the railing.

"Jena Anderson!" Avery barks, her blaster raised. "Hold it right there! You're under arrest for arson and bombing of the Aegis Research Institute!"

Shit. Down below, a gaggle of civilians observe and record the scene while Anderson, dirty coat and purple rags, looks lazily between the two officers surrounding her, turning to face Avery's blaster straight on.

He pushes off the metal and swings himself around the corner down the staircase, three steps at a time, a police car screeching by as he flies off the last step toward the intersection, through the bright red holographic screens locking down the streets. Four more cars drift into position to provide support. He pulls out his own X-baton and lifts the transforming blaster to the back of Anderson's head.

"Gotcha." He grinds his teeth. Finally. Finally, she'll _pay._

Her shoulders shake with...a...laugh. "Do you?"

The air sparks purple and red. With a sharp whine, her body breaks into bright magenta particles- he tries to squeeze the trigger, but the pieces swirl into the red mass and take off toward the underside of the skywalk.

He follows. His Legion roars to life, chain snapping to his wrist, and buries its claws into the gate as it forms, diving in head first, until the pull picks him off the floor, into the dark shadows of the portal.

* * *

## Pursuit

His boots hit the black crystal underneath him with a dull thump. A piece of red matter cracks off the floor as he gets his footing back, the small bit of data bouncing around for a few seconds before its larger mass consumes it once again, returns it to uniformity. He yanks his Legion's core to his Legatus and turns on his IRIS to block out the incessant greens and reds while he clears off his landing area in Anderson's turf. An open box of supplies rests tucked into a crevice between two pillars, only an emptied bottle of water and the aluminium packaging of a protein bar...

He snatches it up. UNION issue Triple S brand, chocolate crunch flavour, from cricket flour. Akane?

"Do you read me?" Olive's voice comes through his radio.

He takes off one hand from his blaster and adjusts the black and red receiver. "Can you scan for Anderson's signal?"

Olive sighs. "You didn't hear anything I said a minute ago, did you?"

"Uh..." He frowns. "I was a little busy."

"I _just_ told you not to dive right in before the commander gave the signal! Urgh, Howards," she groans. "Well, since you did it anyway, you might as well try to find Jena. I can't get her exact position, though, so stay alert. This is probably a trap."

Obviously. He wasn't born yesterday.

He walks onward along the wall, summoning the Bowgun Legion again to shoot down the core floating in the distance. The pillars before him descend with a flash of blue light to reveal a larger clearing beyond, two plates protruding out of the floor on each side of the entrance- he pulses his implant and the Bardiche Legion spins around to cut the Beast-type chimera that tries to leap at him in half, fingers tearing out the cube of red matter through its mangled throat while he steps aside and kicks in the chest of the Humanoid-type. Splinters of hardened shell stick to his heel as it tumbles over the edge into the void below.

He huffs and jumps the gap from one island to another.

Patches of ground turn to a bright white liquid once he goes down the set of stairs. Black geometric shapes bob up and down in the fluid and explode upward when he dares to step too close in his manoeuvres around the large masses of red matter. Eyes burn into his back, small chimeras looking down at him from above; their pointy ears stand in fear and they scatter when he aims his bow at them.

He takes a moving platform up to higher ground. The terrain shifts a few steps ahead, and severs itself into multiple blocks of red matter four times his size, each one pulsing with energy as it hovers up and down, side to side. Something...white protrudes from a pillar past the chaos. No, not quite...white. Silver, painted red by the air of the Astral Plane.

One block smashes into the floor in front of him while its neighbour sinks into the space left by another. He carefully steps onto it, crouching to keep himself stable while it rises back up far above the rest, and he lets the Blade Legion wrap its fingers around the Astral Chain and drag him from chunk to chunk, until he lands unharmed on the other side of the obstacles. He jogs up to the pillar-

A Legatus. He draws in a breath. Cut in half and slowly being consumed by the Astral Plane, but the black and white handle of the device sticks out from the mess of metal that used to be a Legion's cradle, the blue centre turned red and part of the alloy painted with...dry blood.

He twists his X-baton around and slams the tip into the crystal, again, and again, and again, pulling on the handle with his other hand.

The Legatus comes away with a crack, sending him stumbling back on his ass. He wraps his arms around it.

Fuck. He pries open the remainder of its shell. Not much left, but maybe he can find...

He peels off the identification chip and scans it through his own Legatus.

UEY003216, Akane Howard. Of course. Even her own Legion would turn against her eventually...he growls, shuffling to his feet to push onward.

Anderson waits for him at the end of the path. "Enjoyed your trip through her memories?"

"Shut up." He stomps toward her, not bothering to switch to his blaster. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?"

"You think I'm so stupid I can't figure out it was _you_ who made the Legions go berserk? You attacked the ARI at the same time we were stuck in the Astral Plane. Talk about a coincidence."

"A meeting of circumstances. How would I have any effect on your Legions?"

"I don't know. And I don't care! We have enough evidence to put you behind bars and make sure you rot there for the rest of your life. That's good enough for me."

Anderson shakes her head. "It's a shame you're blinded by your anger. We both want nothing but to save humankind, yet you've let yourself be drawn in by false promises. How sad...this is how you live? Following orders without question? Without thought? And you call yourself human?"

He flicks the X-baton over to gladius form. "I have authorization to bring you in forcefully if I need to."

"Maybe you're happy with your lot, but...a word of advice. Your power is not the blessing you think it is. One day, it will cost you _everything._ "

"Enough!" He bares his teeth and charges at her, wrapping both hands around his gladius- the walkway splits once more under him, carrying him up into the sky, and another block slams into his back, throwing him off the pillar and down into- the gate-

* * *

"Akira!"

He groans and opens his eyes. Alicia and Dad crouch over him, Jin, Avery, Mitsuru and Li Fang gathered behind. His shoulder muscles burn as he crawls up to his feet, brushing little rocks off his pants, and he squints against the lights of Harmony Square as Dad wraps his fingers around his bicep to keep him stable. A few regular officers stand where the crowd used to be, weapons drawn and drones hovering around to keep the civilians away from the intersection.

"Where's Anderson?"

"She disappeared inside Ark Mall," Olive replies on his channel. "Are you alright? That was a big fall."

He grunts and shakes off Dad's hand. "I'm fine. Come on, we have to go after her."

"Hey, you sure?" Alicia asks. "Tumbling out of a gate like that...you were out for a good fifteen seconds. No one wants to see you pass out from a concussion in the middle of a fight."

"I said I'm _fine._ I'm made of tougher stuff than that."

Alicia raises her hands to placate him. "Aight, aight!"

"I hope you're right, bright eyes," Jin chimes in. "We're in a lot of trouble if anything happens to you."

"Don't worry, I'm keeping my eye on him this time," Dad says, then he waves them all across the intersection. "Now, c'mon, Anderson can't get away from all of us."

They cross over to the other side of the street and down toward the media centre, followed by a hundred curious pairs of eyes.

"I've never seen anyone walk in and out of gates like that," Olive says. "I thought she was only taking advantage of chimeras opening gates, but she can open them herself..."

"Remember, the Arm Legion might still be wandering around in there, too," Alicia says.

Jin hums. "Leave it to me."

* * *

## Arm

The moon hides itself behind the height of Ark Mall and casts a shadow almost a kilometre long all the way to the entrance of Zone 32, the area already cleared out in a straight path to the sprawling, towering complex at its core. Li Fang leads two other officers onward, up the flight of stairs. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, until they reach the doors into the lobby; dark purple liquid seeps out from underneath, some kind of fleshy mass having burst through the rightmost glass.

Dad pulls open both sets of doors and holds the second with his foot to let them file into the entrance hall while he taps the side of his blaster. They all raise their own and march in, he and Dad the first to breach the abandoned building, running to the closest pillar.

He leans to one side and scans the mounds of...goop. "Entrance hall, clear! Nothing to report!"

Dad nods at Jin and Alicia, and the two of them make a break for one of the display cars. "Main plaza, clear! Nothing on our biosensors!"

Avery and Mitsuru hurry to the corner at half-crouch. "First floor, all clear! We haven't found anything!"

Dad grunts. "Alright. Avery, Mitsuru, push deeper and see if anything turns up."

"Roger!"

The rest of them relax and straighten out, breathing out a collective sigh. Dad walks over to join up with Alicia and Jin, and Akira follows, under the flickering holographic sign of Ark Mall- everything new & more!- to take part in the huddle. He nudges a puddle of sludge with his boot- urgh, and pulls his foot back, the slime trying to stick to him.

"HQ, we've got the first floor entrance hall locked down," Jin speaks into his radio. "There's nobody here, but there's...something I've never seen before. Some kind of...goop."

"Is that red matter?" Alicia asks.

Akira summons his Legion to send it over to one of the larger mounds. His hands sink slightly into the lump of...flesh, flesh melded together with red matter in its inert state, flesh that pulse and bounce under his palms. He recoils and scowls. "What the hell...? It's almost like it's...alive."

"Urgh, ew, never mind, I don't wanna know."

"Keep your distance from anything you don't recognize," Olive says. "It could be dangerous. Focus on finding Jena."

Dad nods and they all jog down the hall around the corner, weaving between more mountains of...stuff, splatters of gunk, and ripped up sections of rebar, past the emptied storefront of a Raqawa and mannequins slowly disintegrating in the goop.

"You'd think some kind of terrorist hideout would be a little...livelier," Jin mutters.

Alicia snorts. "What, a big mall full of mysterious goop not exciting enough for you? Stay frosty."

The building quakes around them, dust and small pieces of rubble falling from the ceiling.

"Jesus, I didn't mean it that way."

Mitsuru and Avery finish up their scouting of the atrium just as they reach the end of the entrance hall, both of them pumping their arm, palm extended inward in an all clear. Metal rings of increasing sizes wrap around the staircase all the way up to support the top floor, where the central structure extends to merge into the dome far, far above their heads.

"Welcome! Nice of you to join me, UNION dogs."

Akira screeches to a stop and looks back up to the highest ring. Blue eyes pierce into him, purple lips curling up into a smile.

"I suppose you think you have me cornered, but let me assure you, you're here because I _want_ you to be," Anderson drawls. "Your master's done as he pleases for long enough. I still have a few preparations to make, but don't worry, I've prepared entertainment. After all, what kind of hostess would keep her guests waiting?"

Dad's hand on his shoulder barely stops him from bolting after her as she retreats out of their sights. Right, traps.

"HQ, the suspect's makin' a run for it," Dad growls. "We're going after her. Avery, Mitsuru, no one gets through here 'til I give you the signal!"

"Roger that, sir!"

More and more tremors shake the floors broken apart by time and piles of purple tumours.

One of them moves. He shifts to his blaster and aims it at the...tentacle...creature... _thing_ that unfolds, pulling itself out of the hole it's dug into the ground, turning around to open its cross-shaped maw at them. Oh gods, the smell-

"Oh, what the _fuck,_ " Alicia gags. "Must be...urgh, the tentacles we heard about. Damn, talk about one hell of a stank."

Did Anderson make those too? It curls its head back and the length of its body bulges-

He steps aside to avoid a flying ball of yellowish mucus and even further as it splashes against the column of the staircase, calling up the Bowgun Legion in a blink to pull on his bow and fire off a rain of arrows in retaliation. The projectiles pour down into the thing's throat for the few seconds of its miserable life before it disintegrates into particles.

"Starting to think overkill is a Howard thing too," Alicia mumbles.

"Captain!" Jin gestures further up the stairs with his blaster. "Up there! Something white scurried up the steps!"

Dammit! Akira hisses and runs ahead of the others, calling back over his shoulder. "Don't let her get away! If she gets the chance to open a gate, who knows where she'll end up!"

The sound of boots echo after him to the top floor- he rolls into a crouch on instinct, in time to avoid the grasp of black and red fingers, strong enough to displace air above his head.

" _Jin!_ "

He spins on his heel. The fist winds itself around Jin and sends him and his gladius skipping across the wooden laths, another fist coming down to smash apart the walkway between the inner and outer rings. The Bowgun Legion positions itself in front of Akira to protect him from the explosion of debris.

The Arm Legion howls at them as the dust settles, silver crest cracked beyond recognition, gauntlets shattered along the knuckles, its core skittering in its chest. Jin groans behind it and pulls himself to his feet again, stumbling back from a revolving door of a punch cloaked in red energy, then an uppercut that would have snapped his head clean off. Akira shoots a bolt at the former Legion that bounces off its armour, but gives enough time for Jin to skitter over to his gladius.

Alicia and Dad exchange a look.

And Dad leaps to the outer ring. "You two go after Anderson!"

"What?!" Alicia yells. "You-"

"We'll take care of this crazy bastard and join back up with you! Now go, that's an order!"

Alicia grinds her teeth and storms away in the opposite direction. "Goddammit!"

Of course Jena would split them up. Akira runs after Alicia and sends the Heavy Arm Legion ahead to muscle open the pneumatic security door separating them from the emergency shelter of the upper dome. More slime covers the hallway, trying to hide the tentacles burrowed in every available surface, each dispatched in the hail of energy rounds Alicia floods the area with; a gate slices open the air in the middle of their path as they reach the bay windows overlooking Zone 32, white Beast-type chimeras bouncing in to mingle with Anderson's creations. His Legion lifts the first one by the fur of its neck and tears the core right out of its chest before throwing it out through the bulletproof glass.

"What the-"

He turns, following Alicia's line of sight- one of the tentacles coils itself around the second chimera and opens its jaws and sticks the chimera's head down its throat, thrashing and seizing up until it _swallows it whole._

"Holy shit."

He takes the opportunity to send the Blade Legion slashing a path through the wriggling, multiplying masses to the passage leading up to Azure Plaza while the chimeras get munched on. He yanks Alicia and she pulls him in turn into the elevator, both of them smacking into the back wall of the carriage.

He dismisses his Legion, letting his limiter slowly climb out of the red.

Alicia slumps against the handicap bars, reaching for her radio. "Captain? You still alive?"

"Little- busy!" Dad replies, his grunts mixed with clashing steel. "What is it?"

"We made it up to Azure Plaza. Only way Anderson could have gone."

"Got it! Stay on your guard!" Dad says. Jin shouts in the background. "Be there so- shit!"

"Don't _touch him!_ " Jin yells.

An explosion of energy breaks the line into earsplitting white noise as the building shakes once more, the elevator's lights stutter.

"Captain!" Alicia gasps into the transmitter. "Captain! _Max!_ "

Akira flicks his own radio over to Dad's channel. "Captain?" Then over to Jin's. "Jin?" And over to HQ. "Olive? Commander!"

"Dammit, are all of our comms blocked?" Alicia hisses.

He sighs and tries to call in through his Legatus. The elevator slows and opens its doors. "Frequency unavailable...tch. Anderson must have jammed our lines." Alicia visibly holds herself back from kicking a wall, and he puts his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Dad and Jin will be fine, I know it. The faster we get Anderson, the faster we can go back to provide support."

She takes a deep breath, then nods and brings her blaster back up, and they walk down the hallway into the plaza.

* * *

## Family

Anderson stands at the furthest point of the circular platform, before an even bigger mound of flesh that climbs up along the struts of the dome, to a _gigantic_ structure of tentacles supporting some kind of shell made of curved spikes, purple energy seeping through the cracks. What the...? He forces his eyes back down to Anderson- and the other person facing away from them, their white silhouette broken up only by black boots and the end of a rectangular black box peeking out from under their hooded coat; their shoulders climb up, and they twist their head to look behind them, the blue tinted visor of their white helmet hiding their identity.

"Who...is that?" Alicia mutters.

"Our guest list grows longer, it seems," Anderson declares, spinning on her heel to face them. "Charming."

Alicia shifts her stance and aims between the mad scientist and the stranger. "End of the line, Jena! Just give it up!"

"You're all so pitiable. What lies does Yoseph feed you to keep you so obedient, even while the world crumbles around you? That he can save humankind, if only you defeat the evil standing in your way? Who will be left, once his ambitions are fulfilled? A tide the likes of which you can't imagine swells before you. How long do you think you'll last against it? He will promise you safety and respect even as he drowns you with his own hands!"

Akira growls. "We know you're the one who caused the Pandemic! The outbreaks all over the Ark! What, do you think making us all into aberrations is going to help?!"

"I am not the villain you think I am," Anderson says with a shake of her head. "But I fear it is too late for you to trust anything I might say."

"We'll talk about it back at the station!" Alicia shouts. "Put your hands on top of your head! You too, miss anonymous!"

The stranger in white tilts their head.

"Well, you'll make a fine trial run."

The flesh bulges and the covering of the egg snaps apart with a resounding crack, raining down fragments of bleached scales on their heads. Anderson swipes at the air, a gate ripped open under her nails, and Akira lunges after her as she dissolves into the portal- the stranger grabs him and pulls him back in time for a fist dripping bright magenta ooze to slam its tentacle fingers into his path, then another, sinewy purple arms dragging out a torso of malformed bones and muscles and spikes, a neck ending in a small head covered in a white mask. Four red eyes peel open.

Alicia stumbles away from the beast. "What...is that?"

His IRIS stutters. Homunculus alpha, C-Scale C5. Exterminate.

He frowns at the stranger as she wraps her fingers around the handle at her waist, unsheathing a sword the length of his forearm from the black box, the blade sparking blue. "Who are you? Are you with Anderson or not?"

"I'm not." He freezes. That voice...it can't be.

The girl brings up her left arm across her chest. A small black and blue cube floats up above her head- a _Legion's core_ \- blue and white spirals of energy explode outward into a humanoid shape, arms turned to sharp edges, body curling into a protective stance, jaw splitting open to let out a roar.

SV-05 Sword Nemesis, C-Scale CX, Capture, the IRIS spits out.

The- homunculus echoes the call, breath carrying the smell of- gag- rotting meat and rotten eggs.

He drops to the ground alongside Alicia as it tries to swat them off the platform, while the girl gets carried over it by the white Legion, the both of them climbing up in the air to drop their combined weight on the homunculus' head, making a small crack in its mask. It cries out once more, folding inward to launch its back spikes at them.

Akira calls out the Bardiche Legion and deploys its protective shield, using its polearm to slice apart the projectiles coming their way. Alicia shakes herself and bounces off the floor, switching to her gladius mid-leap to smash it upward into the homunculus' chin.

The girl in white and her Legion unleash a merciless barrage of slashes upon its face and then its hands as it tries to wrap them around its head.

With its whine, the flesh tube connecting it to the ceiling pulses and pulls it back up, and its entire throat opens, revealing a brownish red inside covered in vibrant red vessels, its tongue hanging down from deep within its chest. Motes of purple energy gather within and the temperature shoots up, and up, and up-

"Hey, ugly! I think you dropped this!"

One of the spikes flies through the air and pierces into the homunculus' tongue, black liquid pouring out around the entry point.

Jin laughs, enveloped in blue energy, hair shining sapphire, eyes with a glint of silver, the blue and white Arm Legion by his side, flexing its fingers around another spike.

Dad runs to Alicia. "Is that...?"

The girl in white jumps away from the homunculus as it bangs itself against the ground.

"Akira! Help her restrain the arms! We'll take care of the head!" Jin shouts at him before he looks to the girl. "Got that, little ruby?"

She turns her head and- and she nods. "Yessir."

Akira clenches his jaw and breathes through the tightness in his chest. How. She can't be...he shakes his head and switches over to the Bowgun Legion, running toward the homunculus' right arm. The Astral Chain wraps around the limb, five different chains sprouting from the binding and pinning it to the ground. His sister, _his show-off of a sister_ , does a pirouette in the air, coat flapping around her, and sprints up the length of the other arm, her Legion following behind with red matter spears between its claws to drive them through the flesh. She jumps off at the shoulder to lob her sword into one of the homunculus' eyes.

"Alright! Max!" Links clink together. The Arm Legion charges at the struggling monster with the spike clutched between its raised hands, Dad right behind it with his gladius- the spike carves into the homunculus' head, bone spews everywhere, and Dad jumps off the Arm Legion's back to thrusts it through even deeper, exploding out the bottom of the homunculus' lower jaw.

The creature seizes up in its bonds.

And it collapses to the floor, the tube detaching from its egg to fall along with it, bringing down parts of the roof. Its body emits a cloud of magenta dust, and then the entire thing breaks into particles, rising up into the night sky before they vanish into thin air.

Jin groans and sinks down to starfish on the floor.

"Akane? Sweetheart?"

Dad stumbles across the wreckage toward the girl in white. She bends down to pick up her sword, twisting it around to slot it back within its sheath. Her Legion hovers to a stop behind her. The plates of metal down her neck jingle when she reaches to her nape, and a snap loosens the helmet enough for short white strands of hair to spill out...and she pulls the helmet off, resting it on her hip.

Silver eyes crinkle with her smile. "Hey, da-"

Akane's head disappears in Dad's embrace, her sentence fading into a wobbly laugh.

Akira slowly walks closer. Dad steps back and runs his hands over her cheeks, tears streaming down both of their faces.

She laughs again and swipes at her eyes with her palms as she turns to him. "Hey, Aki."

_Fuck_. He bites his lip. "H-hey. What's up with the new look?"

"You're the one asking that? What's up with _your_ new look?"

"It's a long story."

"I bet."

He smiles awkwardly at her.

And then she crushes him into a hug, her head nestled into the crook of his neck, her fingers squeezing his shoulders even through his armour. He rests his nose within her hair. His eyes burn.

"It's...really you?" He chokes on his breath as she nods against his skin. "I- I thought you were dead...everyone thought you were dead. Whe...where have you been? What happened? Why are you here? Your hair-"

"It's a long story," she parrots back. "A really long story...and I'm not sure now is the best-"

"To all Neuron officers." He jumps at the commander's voice thundering through all their radios. "This is a direct order from your commander. _Neutralize and apprehend Akane Howard._ "

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't posted here in forever!
> 
> Astral Chain was one of my favourite Switch games, but I was somewhat disappointed by how little it addressed its worldbuilding and social issues, especially when the main characters are part of the police. So, I decided to rewrite things my way! I don't know how well I will do, but I'm always open to criticism.
> 
> I'm going to try and keep uploading regularly, at least once every week or two!


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